Blue Origin targets January 2027 for New Glenn return

Blue Origin is targeting January 2027 for the next flight of its New Glenn rocket, extending the vehicle’s return beyond the company’s public goal of flying again by the end of 2026. Chief Executive Dave Limp gave the revised target in a memo to employees, according to reports citing the memo. No specific launch day has been reported. New Glenn has been grounded since a May 28 hotfire test at the company’s Florida launch site damaged the rocket and launch infrastructure. The incident occurred at Launch Complex 36, where Blue Origin has been rebuilding equipment needed for launches. Limp’s memo said summer weather slowed the reconstruction. The Vehicle Access Tower has been repaired and restacked, and the launch bridge has been restored, according to reporting based on the memo. The account gives no further details about the remaining work or a confirmed launch schedule. Blue Origin had said on June 30 that it intended to return New Glenn to flight by the end of 2026. The January target moves that return into the following year. In an August 5 update, the company said an anomaly during the May test was traced to a main oxygen valve on one of the rocket’s BE-4 engines, and that...