Blue Origin Fires All Seven BE-4s in Final New Glenn Test for NASA’s EscaPADE Launch

Overview

• Blue Origin conducted a 38-second static fire of the NG-2 New Glenn booster at Cape Canaveral on Oct. 30, igniting all seven BE-4 engines.
• Chief executive Dave Limp said the unusually long burn was designed to simulate a landing sequence, including staged shutdowns and throttle changes to study propellant behavior.
• The rocket will roll back to its hangar to integrate NASA’s twin EscaPADE satellites, built by Rocket Lab, before returning to the pad for launch operations.
• A launch date has not been announced, and sources report the mission is targeting no earlier than Nov. 9 pending analysis of the test data.
• Blue Origin plans to attempt an ocean barge landing with the NG-2 booster, following NG-1’s failed relight reported by the FAA, with potential reuse on a future Blue Moon Mk. 1 lander mission if recovery and refurbishment succeed.