Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin has announced plans for a larger, more powerful variant of its New Glenn rocket, aiming to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX fleet. The new rocket, called New Glenn 9x4, will feature nine engines on its first stage and four on its second, an upgrade from the current 7x2 design.
Blue Origin said the New Glenn 9x4 is part of a broader plan to offer multiple orbital launchers, serving customers with missions ranging from mega-constellations to lunar and deep-space exploration, as well as national security projects such as the Golden Dome program.
The company did not provide a timeline for the rocket's first flight but emphasized that the iterative design from the current New Glenn means development could proceed quickly. CEO Dave Limp posted digital renderings of the super-heavy New Glenn on X, showing the rocket standing taller than the historic Saturn V, with a larger payload fairing and enhanced capabilities.
Blue Origin has spent billions over nearly a decade developing New Glenn, a 29-story rocket with a reusable first stage. The new 9x4 variant is expected to broaden the company's offerings and compete more directly with SpaceX's Falcon rockets and the still-in-development Starship.
<social>https://x.com/davill/status/1991544049095045367?s=20</social>