NASA Spaceflight
• Sean Yoder
NASA and Blue Origin have agreed to test New Glenn engines at NASA’s historic Stennis Space Center stand, giving the company an alternative to capacity constrained by the May static-fire explosion at Launch Complex 36 as it works toward a return to flight before the end of 2026.
Blue Origin
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The Air Force Research Laboratory added $11.7 million to a Blue Origin contract exploring whether commercial rockets could transport military supplies around the world. The expansion brings the agreement’s total value to approximately $13 million and broadens the Air Force’s examination of commercial launch capacity for logistics.
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NASA and Blue Origin have agreed to test New Glenn engines at NASA’s historic Stennis Space Center stand, giving the company an alternative to capacity constrained by the May static-fire explosion at Launch Complex 36 as it works toward a return to flight before the end of 2026.
Blue Origin says it will use NASA’s Stennis Space Center to test New Glenn upper stages as it rebuilds its Cape Canaveral launch complex. The move shifts part of New Glenn’s development and validation work to Stennis infrastructure while Blue Origin continues ground-site recovery and integration planning.
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NASA and Blue Origin have finalized plans for second-stage hot-fire tests of New Glenn on the B-2 position of the Thad Cochran Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The testing is intended to progress New Glenn’s development alongside Artemis-related objectives.
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Wally Funk, the trailblazing aviator and final living member of NASA’s original “Mercury 13” astronaut trainee class, died at 87 in Texas. She flew into space at 82 after decades of waiting, later recognized as the oldest woman in space, following a Blue Origin invitation.
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Blue Origin has initiated its first external private financing effort, aiming to raise as much as $10 billion at a reported $130 billion valuation, according to reporting cited across the cluster. The move follows intense capital inflows to the space sector but highlights a persistent constraint: limited launch capacity.
Blue Origin, the Jeff Bezos-founded launch company, is preparing for its first major round to bring in external investors, targeting a valuation of roughly $130 billion. The fund-raising marks a significant step in the company’s funding strategy as it scales its launch and spaceflight ambitions.
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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is preparing its first external fundraising round, seeking roughly $10 billion in new private capital at a reported $130 billion valuation. The move, described in reporting based on sources, positions Blue Origin to accelerate capital strategy as market attention turns to space-sector financings following SpaceX’s IPO.
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