Blue Origin New Glenn 9×4 Launch Vehicle

History

Blue Origin New Glenn 9×4 is a planned enlarged configuration of the American New Glenn orbital launch vehicle. Its designation describes an engine arrangement with nine BE-4 engines on the first stage and four BE-3U engines on the second stage.

The 9×4 configuration is intended to carry larger and heavier payloads than the original New Glenn 7×2. It remains under development and has not yet flown. Blue Origin is expanding Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to provide a dedicated operational pad and vertical-integration infrastructure for the vehicle.

New Glenn 9×4 retains the New Glenn concept of a reusable first stage. Public information does not yet provide a confirmed first-launch date, payload rating, overall dimensions, or final production configuration.

New Glenn background

Blue Origin leased Launch Complex 36 in 2015 and began constructing a new launch facility there in 2016. The complex had previously operated two pads for Atlas-Centaur and later Atlas launch vehicles before its early-2000s closure and demolition.

The baseline New Glenn 7×2 made its first launch from LC-36 in 2025. It uses seven BE-4 engines on the reusable first stage and two BE-3U engines on the second stage. The 7×2 established the basic flight architecture from which the more powerful 9×4 configuration is being developed.

9×4 development

Blue Origin disclosed work on the larger engine arrangement as part of an effort to increase New Glenn performance and production capability. The 9×4 adds two first-stage BE-4 engines and doubles the number of second-stage BE-3U engines. The resulting rocket is expected to be taller than the 7×2.

Program reporting in March 2026 connected the enlarged configuration with manufacturing expansion and studies of a potentially reusable upper stage. Upper-stage reusability should be treated as development work rather than a confirmed feature of the initial 9×4 vehicle. One reported planning target placed a first satellite deployment in the fourth quarter of 2027, but Blue Origin had not announced a firm debut date.

Launch Complex 36 expansion

Blue Origin plans to restore LC-36 as a two-pad complex. The existing LC-36A supports the 7×2 vehicle, while a new LC-36B is intended as the operational home of New Glenn 9×4. Associated construction includes a Vertical Integration Facility and a Payload Processing Facility.

The planned integration tower is approximately 700 ft, or 213 m, tall, and Blue Origin stated that construction would require about 2,500 tons of structural-steel columns. Vertical integration allows payloads and the launch vehicle to be assembled in an upright orientation, a capability important for some large and national-security spacecraft.

Work on LC-36B proceeded alongside repairs to LC-36A after the fourth baseline New Glenn vehicle was destroyed during a static-fire test on 8 May 2026. The accident damaged launch facilities and reduced the planned 2026 flight rate. Repairing LC-36A and developing the new 9×4 pad were assigned to separate efforts.

Design

First stage

The first stage is planned to use nine Blue Origin BE-4 engines, compared with seven on New Glenn 7×2. BE-4 burns liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas. Increasing the engine count raises available thrust, but the final stage dimensions, propellant load, structural changes, and liftoff thrust for the complete 9×4 configuration have not been published in the supplied sources.

Like the baseline New Glenn booster, the 9×4 first stage is intended to land and fly again. Reuse requires recovery hardware, propellant reserves, and structural margins, all of which affect payload performance. No recovery flight profile specific to 9×4 has yet been demonstrated.

Second stage

The upper stage is planned with four vacuum-optimized BE-3U engines instead of the two fitted to the 7×2 configuration. This increase is intended to complement the more powerful booster and support heavier payloads. Public material does not yet establish whether the first operational 9×4 upper stage will be expendable or reusable.

Payload integration

LC-36B and its Vertical Integration Facility are being designed around the larger vehicle. The Payload Processing Facility will support spacecraft preparation before integration. The available sources do not disclose a final fairing size or certified payload capacity for 9×4, so figures for the existing 7×2 should not be presented as specifications for this variant.

Program status

As of August 2026, New Glenn 9×4 was under development and its dedicated launch infrastructure was entering construction. Blue Origin had not announced a firm first-flight schedule. A reported 2027 mission target represents planning information rather than a completed or contracted operational milestone.

The program also depends on the recovery of baseline New Glenn operations at LC-36A. Blue Origin stated that it intended to return the 7×2 to flight before the end of 2026, while construction of LC-36B continued independently.

Variants

• New Glenn 7×2 — the baseline flight configuration with seven BE-4 first-stage engines and two BE-3U second-stage engines; first launched in 2025.
• New Glenn 9×4 — the planned enlarged configuration with nine BE-4 engines and four BE-3U engines, supported by the new LC-36B pad.
• Reusable-upper-stage concept — a development study associated with future New Glenn growth; not a confirmed feature of the initial 9×4 configuration.

Specifications (planned New Glenn 9×4)

General characteristics

• Type: two-stage orbital launch vehicle
• Manufacturer: Blue Origin
• Launch site: Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
• First stage: nine BE-4 engines
• Second stage: four BE-3U engines
• First-stage propellants: liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas
• First-stage recovery: planned propulsive landing and reuse