The loss of a lucrative contract with the Pentagon forces Blue Origin to postpone the inaugural launch of its new launcher:the New Glenn.
Even if it is lagging behind, Blue Origin, created in 2000 by Jeff Bezos (Amazon), is today the main competitor of SpaceX. For several years, the company has been developing a 95-meter high and partially reusable rocket called New Glenn, supposed to offer a lifting capacity of up to fourteen tons in geostationary orbit and up to fifty tons in low Earth orbit.
The vehicle will soon join NASA's fleet of commercial launchers to operate flights from the mid-2020s.
Until now, there was talk of the first flight of this rocket being operated this year. Unfortunately, the company announced on Thursday that it will have to wait until the fourth half of 2022 due to a key Pentagon contract lost last year.
The company had indeed become involved in the framework of the Air Force's new national security launch program which guaranteed two American companies contracts at several billion dollars and a share of all Pentagon launches between 2022 and 2027. The Air Force has finally set its sights on SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (a joint venture involving Boeing and Lockheed Martin).
Jarrett Jones, senior vice president of Blue Origin, estimates the loss of these contracts at around three billion dollars. “We hope to launch [national security] payloads in the future, and remain committed to serving the U.S. defense mission “, can we read in a press release.
It's obviously a blow for Blue Origin, but the company promises to shine in the next few years. Jeff Bezos, who will soon leave his role as CEO of Amazon to become its executive chairman, should indeed be more involved in the company from now on.
Remember that Blue Origin is still in the race to land the next humans on the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program, with its Blue Moon lander (upgraded version). The other two companies in the running are Dynetics and SpaceX.
Another crucial business area for the company is the development of its BE-4 rocket engine which will be responsible for propelling the New Glenn. This engine will indeed also power United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, the very one that beat the New Glenn on the lucrative contract with the Pentagon. The Vulcan launcher is on track to be launched by the end of this year .
