Osegi
Space·1 min read

Blue Origin unveils New Glenn GS3 third stage and Northstar engine

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp has unveiled GS3, a third stage for the New Glenn rocket, along with a new booster engine called Northstar.

Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy-lift rocket on the launch pad, the vehicle that gains a new GS3 third stage and Northstar booster engine.
Image: NASASpaceflight
SUMODialoediviewergiftdetect

Blue Origin chief executive Dave Limp has unveiled a third stage for the New Glenn rocket, designated GS3, together with a booster engine named Northstar.

The announcement adds two new elements to the New Glenn programme. A third stage would extend the configuration of the heavy-lift vehicle beyond its existing setup, while Northstar is described as an engine for the rocket's booster.

Why it matters

New Glenn is Blue Origin's flagship launch vehicle, and the company's ability to develop upgrades for it shapes how it competes in the heavy-lift market. Showing both a new upper-stage option and a new booster engine signals that the company is working on the rocket's evolution, not only on current flights.

Details such as performance figures, development schedules and the first planned use of GS3 and Northstar were not part of the information available at the time of writing, so it remains unclear when either element could fly.

Further specifications and timelines are expected to determine how significant the upgrades are for customers and for Blue Origin's launch cadence.

Apps worth a look

SUMO: the number puzzle

Tap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.

Tags:blue originnew glenngs3northstardave limprocket engine

More from this day

See all →

More in: Space

See all →