Blue Origin’s much-anticipated debut of its New Glenn rocket faced a setback early Monday morning. The launch, scheduled within a three-hour window starting at 1:00 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was ultimately scrubbed due to technical issues. Despite several delays during the countdown, the mission was called off without a new launch date announced.

The New Glenn rocket, standing at 320 feet, represents Blue Origin’s foray into the heavy-lift launch vehicle market. Named after astronaut John Glenn, it’s designed to transport cargo, satellites, and eventually humans into space. The rocket’s first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines and is intended to be reusable for at least 25 missions, aiming to reduce costs and increase launch frequency.

Potential Military Applications of New Glenn

The U.S. military’s increasing reliance on space-based assets for communication, navigation, and surveillance underscores the importance of reliable and versatile launch vehicles. New Glenn’s capabilities position it as a strong candidate to meet these needs.

Heavy Payload Deployment

The growing demands of national security space missions have driven significant advancements in heavy payload development, particularly for deploying large payloads into geostationary orbit. One of the key areas of progress is the development of super heavy-lift launch vehicles. These powerful rockets, capable of lifting more than 50 metric tons to low Earth orbit, play a vital role in transporting large national security payloads to geostationary orbit.

For example, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, operational since 2018, can launch up to 63.8 metric tons to low Earth orbit in a fully expendable configuration. It has also demonstrated its ability to carry payloads to geostationary orbit, with its largest payload to this orbit being approximately 9,200 kg. Similarly, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), initially designed for deep space exploration, holds great potential for national security applications, having successfully launched its first mission in November 2022. Another promising contender is Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which is expected to lift 45,000 kg to low Earth orbit when it takes its maiden flight sometime in 2025.

In addition to powerful rockets, innovations like the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring are enhancing the flexibility of national security space missions. The latest version of this technology, the Long Duration Propulsive ESPA (LDPE), allows for the deployment of up to six smaller payloads, each weighing about 320 kg. These payloads are launched alongside larger primary payloads, making the process more cost-effective and efficient. By maximizing the use of available space on rockets, this technology ensures multiple national security payloads can reach geostationary orbit in a single launch, improving operational efficiency.

The National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program has also defined specific orbits to ensure launch vehicles can meet mission requirements. These include the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), which involves a perigee of 190 km, an apogee of 35,786 km, and an inclination of 27 degrees. For payloads requiring geostationary orbit (GEO), the target is an altitude of 35,786 km with zero inclination. These precise specifications enable the deployment of satellites and other assets to orbits optimized for national security applications, such as surveillance, communication, and intelligence gathering.

The combination of super heavy-lift launch vehicles, innovative payload adapters like the ESPA ring, and well-defined mission profiles is driving more efficient and flexible deployment of large national security payloads. This progress enhances the United States’ space-based defense and intelligence capabilities, ensuring robust support for critical missions in an increasingly contested and vital domain.