The first flight of the new American heavy rocket is postponed to 2022

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The first launch of Blue Origin's heavy, partially reusable New Glenn rocket has been postponed to the fourth quarter of 2022. According to the initial plan, the debut launch of the promising carrier was to take place this year. The reason for the delay was the key Pentagon contract lost to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.

According to Jarrett Jones, Blue Origin's senior vice president of New Glenn, the loss of the aforementioned contract was a painful blow to the company. The fact is that about $ 3 billion has already been spent on the heavy rocket project, and part of this amount was required to adapt the launch vehicle for sending satellites for the Pentagon.



The winner of the tender is guaranteed to receive a multi-billion dollar contract and a share of all space launches in the interests of the US Army from 2022 to 2027. Now Jeff Bezos' company will have to adjust its strategy.

However, Blue Origin is not going to "give up" due to the loss of a lucrative contract and hopes to launch payloads in the future in the interests of the military. In addition, the company is developing a lunar lander, Blue Moon, which could become an important part of the Artemis program if Blue Origin manages to bypass SpaceX.


As for New Glenn, the heavy rocket will have two or three stages. The first will be a VLT reentry and will use seven BE-4 engines. The methane-oxygen mixture is also a Blue Origin development. Ironically, it is at the heart of the Vulcan rocket from the United Launch Alliance, which together with SpaceX won the fight for a key Pentagon contract.
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  1. Cyril
    Cyril
    -1
    26 February 2021 12: 53
    There was nothing to click with his beak. When SpaceX crashed its first stages in test landings after they had taken the payload into orbit, Bezos and his comrades were playing at a particularly unnecessary suborbital New Sheppard for tourists, which is why they lost time.

    However, this situation clearly illustrates the principle of competition - whoever gets up first, God gives him. Well, or the Pentagon.

    Well, in general, I wish Blue Origin the best in developing this rocket. The more competition in this area, the higher the result will be. The space race between the USA and the USSR proved this well.
  2. 123
    123
    +2
    28 February 2021 12: 28
    Nothing in this world changes, they tell both private space and independent investors, in fact it all comes down to a fight for crumbs from the Pentagon table. The state will not give money, nor will there be rockets. You can continue to dream about private space hotels.
    As I understand it, we are talking about contracts concluded in 2018. Quite interesting by the way contracts and not modest amounts.
    https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1658771/

    For the fattening of three "piglets" the state "sow" has allocated quite a lot of financial "milk".
    If I'm not confusing Bezes should have received 0,5 billion for development, 255 million received, the rest of the amount should be looked at.

    United Launch Services, as I understand it, is one office with the United Launch Alliance specified in the article
    https://www.ulalaunch.com/launch-services
    In general, it is planned to allocate a modest $ 2024 million to ULA until 967 for the creation of the Vulcan rocket.

    Bezos uses state money to build, the very launch sites about which the company's representatives are happy to talk about.

    With the money, Blue Origin says it will also seek to build a new launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for New Glenn.

    https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/10/17961832/defense-department-launch-service-agreement-ula-blue-origin-northrop-grumman

    I don’t remember (I don’t want to rummage and search) how much money was allocated for the LSA program. to replace the Russian RD-180, because these terrible Russians invaded Crimea laughing

    The LSA program was created to stop the Defense Department from relying on Russian missile technology. Over the past decade, many national security payloads have flown into space on an Atlas V United Launch Alliance rocket powered by Russian RD-180 engines. But since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, the Defense Department has been trying to phase out its use of the RD-180. The LSA program aims to end the US government's dependence on the engine and create new systems made by American manufacturers.

    Ironically, wasn't the very engine (which is mentioned in the article) developed with government money?

    As for New Glenn, the heavy rocket will have two or three stages. The first will be a reversible VLT and will use seven BE-4 engines. The methane-oxygen mixture is also a Blue Origin development. Ironically, it is at the heart of the Vulcan rocket from the United Launch Alliance., which, together with SpaceX, won the fight for the key Pentagon contract.
    1. zzdimk
      zzdimk
      0
      April 2 2021 13: 37
      If I understood your comment correctly, then there is no competition in production and development in the field of space in the United States, there is only visibility, and all projects under the guise of private business are the Pentagon's program.
      1. 123
        123
        +2
        April 2 2021 14: 08
        If I understood your comment correctly, then there is no competition in production and development in the field of space in the United States, there is only visibility, and all projects under the guise of private business are the Pentagon's program.

        You misunderstood me a little. I meant a little different. There is competition, so private space is more likely an appearance, conditionally, of course, according to a formal criterion, they are private traders.
        Competition is roughly the same as between different design bureaus in the USSR. The budget allocates funds, they master them. Without this, the development of such companies is not possible. Space requires too much investment and I doubt that some kind of entrepreneur is capable of this. "The lion's share" of all orders from the state and a considerable part from the Pentagon and other government agencies.
        It's like if we privatize space enterprises and the state ordered them to develop rockets, satellites, and so on.
        1. zzdimk
          zzdimk
          0
          April 2 2021 15: 07
          A mixture of meanings in the end customer? So he is alone. A private trader without a government order is an altruist. And I have not seen such.
          1. 123
            123
            +1
            April 2 2021 15: 20
            A mixture of meanings in the end customer? So he is alone. A private trader without a government order is an altruist. And I have not seen such.

            I have not met either laughing But you be careful with these words, many are sure that Musk is exactly like that. Dreams of moving human progress, Mars to master, and so on. They'll see you get tired of fighting off the fans Yes