In a test demonstration event, the new blue glen was attached to the finder and was successfully sent by Nasa’s mission to Mars on Thursday. These milestones mark the beginning of a new era for Jeff Bezos’s Megarnet, setting it up as a tough competitor in a heavy startup market.
New Glenn’s 2026-2027 approval will be the real test, though. The blue origin prepares to deliver vehicle loads and crew to the Lunar Surplace, launch new hardware to complement satellites for maneuver, and expand as Project Kuiper). These desirable Shions will provide more opportunities for Glenn New to prove himself as a solid heavy Warthorse.
After Thursday’s successful launch, the new Glenn may begin launching National Security Payloads. The space force is now entering the final stages of the review process to award the rocket a National Security Space Launch (NSSL). The blue origin currently holds the NSSL SPEAT 3 LANE 2 award, under which Space Force plans to deploy the company with approximately seven missions starting in fiscal year 2026.
In case you missed Thursday’s launch, here’s a recap before we dive into what’s going down the pike for Glenn New.
The rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at approximately 3:55 PM ET. Its burnout, stage separation, and jettison were all clean as a whistle. Following the separation, the booster completed a successful refueling and came to a disaster on the barge in the Atlantic Ocean – The first priority of the blue origin. Shortly before 4: 30 pm et et, the Glenns were sent by NASA twins who were cured, sending them on an 11-month journey to Mars.
New Glenn puts its stuff on the moon
For its next mission, New Glenn will launch the prototype Blue Moon 1 (Mk1) Lunar Lander. The mission, the pathfinder “called Pathfinder,” is currently scheduled for sometime in January 2026, although the executive director of Old Orge’s Space, Jacqueline Cortese, said that the company means that the company can start the MK1 regime before the end of the year.
The MK1 is the first cargo designed to carry the Ferry up to 3 tons of payload to the lunar surface. A stepping stone for the MK2 Crew representative, NASA has contracted the Artemis 5 mission.
New Glenn will launch the MK1 prototype into low Earth orbit, where it will circle the planet three to four times before performing an elliptical orbit. After completing one full orbit around the world, the termer will perform another maneuver to correct its trajectory on the moon. It will take about a week to reach Lunar Orbit and finally touch down on Earth.
MK1 will be carrying a NASA Payload called scalps (stereo cameras for lunar studies). This array of cameras will be placed near the base of the Lunar Ambassador to collect images during and after the birth, collect critical data to help future lunar exploration and improve lunar understanding.
This proof-of-concept project will be an important step in the development of the MK2, as the two manufacturers will share the same hardware. The new Glenn is sweet to launch the MK2 prototype sometime in late 2027.
Next Position, Satellite Transmission
The two missions will also test Glenn’s new ability to reliably launch satellites for government and commercial purposes by 2026, although their timing remains uncertain.
Megarocket will launch the elytra mission of Firefly 1, which aims to demonstrate the capabilities of the elytra spacecraft. This orbital vehicle is designed to guide satellites. The mission will also test the wetellite of the xtenti of the xtenti.
Sometime in mid-2026, New Glenn will launch its first Amazon Leo Satellite batter, adding to the current launch of more than 3,000. Amazon Leo is Bezos’ rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which aims to provide a global, high-speed internet connection.
Needless to say, New Glenn has a busy year ahead. The success of its latest test flight has overshadowed high expectations for the rocket heading to 2026. We will see if it continues to deliver.
