New Glenn remains in Phase 3 of its five-step return-to-flight plan. Its launch table is at the Integration Facility for inspection, and Blue Origin has added a Stennis upper-stage hotfire test site while retaining its goal to fly again before the end of 2026.
Current recovery update
Blue Origin and NASA signed an agreement to use the B-Test Complex at Stennis Space Center as an additional New Glenn upper-stage hotfire testbed. The site is intended to validate the stage while deconflicting test work from LC-36 launch operations.
Blue Origin Stennis test-site announcementCurrent phase
Phase 3 of 5
Table inspection + CONOPS
Editorial readiness
46%
Public-signal estimate
Public target
By end of 2026
Blue Origin goal, not a launch date
Next mission
Unconfirmed
Payload and window pending
Recovery architectureA new way to launch New GlennHorizontal integration · Crane breakover · Vertical payload mateOfficial recovery plan
Blue Origin · June 30, 2026
Official recovery sequence
Blue Origin reports the first two phases complete. Design work and major repairs are now the active program phase.
LC-36 access and safety controls established after the May 28 hotfire anomaly.
Hardware recovery and debris removal are complete; reconstruction has started.
Hybrid launch-flow design, launch-table refurbishment, tower repairs, and pad reconstruction are in work.
Repaired ground systems and the crane-based vertical breakover flow must be integrated and tested.
Corrective-action verification, mission assignment, rollout, rehearsal, range coordination, and a launch window remain ahead.
Flight workstream
The FAA closed the April 19 mishap investigation after identifying a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line during the second-stage burn. Nine corrective actions still require verification before the next launch.
Ground workstream
The separate integrated-vehicle hotfire investigation remains active. Blue Origin says early analysis points to the aft section of the first stage; recovery and cleanup are complete, and pad reconstruction has started.
Horizontal / vertical CONOPS
Blue Origin will not rebuild the transporter-erector. The company is moving the existing 7x2 vehicle to a crane-based flow at 36A, adapting work that had already been under development for 9x4 operations at 36B.
GS1 and GS2 are joined inside the Integration Facility.
The integrated 7x2 vehicle travels to the refurbished pad.
A crane lifts New Glenn onto the launch table and hold-down ring.
The payload is lifted and connected after the rocket is vertical.
Blue Origin's confirmed LC-36 damage and vehicle-recovery picture as of July 24, 2026.
Preserved infrastructure
In inspection and adjustment
Lost hardware
Relocated from the Integration Facility
Preparedness is not an official Blue Origin launch probability. It separates the NG-3 flight corrective actions from the May 28 hotfire investigation, pad reconstruction, added Stennis upper-stage test capacity, and next-mission work.
Pad recovery
52% · Phase 3 of 5 / table in inspection
Site recovery and cleanup are complete. The launch table is at the Integration Facility for inspection and CONOPS adjustments; reinstallation, umbilical work, water-system tie-in, tower repairs, and systems integration remain ahead.
Hotfire investigation
36% · Cause under review
The May 28 ground-test investigation remains active. Blue Origin says early analysis points to the aft section of the first stage.
NG-3 flight actions
68% · Verification pending
The FAA closed the NG-3 mishap investigation and authorized return to flight, subject to verification of nine corrective actions and other licensing requirements.
Launch operations
42% · New flow in design
The 7x2 vehicle will be integrated horizontally, lifted onto the refurbished launch table by crane, and receive its payload after vertical breakover.
Next mission
22% · Assignment pending
Blue Origin has not publicly confirmed the next payload, target orbit, or launch window beyond its goal to fly again before the end of 2026.
Upper-stage testing
55% · Stennis test site added
The B-Test Complex agreement adds an upper-stage hotfire testbed intended to validate the stage and deconflict testing from LC-36. Facility activation and test milestones remain ahead.
New Glenn's orbital missions to date, newest first. This record stands apart from the LC-36 ground incident.
The reused NG-2 booster landed again, but an upper-stage thrust anomaly left BlueBird 7 in an unusably low orbit; the spacecraft was subsequently deorbited.
New Glenn deployed NASA's ESCAPADE twin spacecraft to their loiter orbit and landed the first stage on Jacklyn.
New Glenn reached its intended orbit with Blue Ring Pathfinder; the first-stage landing attempt failed after a reentry-burn restart issue.
Incident archive
All personnel were accounted for. This event remains part of the active ground-test investigation, while the page's primary focus follows the documented rebuild and return-to-flight sequence.
Watch source footagePrimary program, regulatory, and customer records used for this tracker.