Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Failure Threatens NASA’s Artemis Moon Program Timeline

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket suffered a major failure during its third launch over the weekend, failing to deploy a customer’s communication satellite into the intended high orbit. The payload, provided by AST SpaceMobile, was left stranded in space, effectively becoming space debris and triggering a costly insurance claim.

This setback is more than just an embarrassment for Jeff Bezos’ space company, which has spent over a decade developing the New Glenn rocket. Industry experts warn that the failure could jeopardize NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. The investigation into the launch failure, led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), may take months to complete. Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the New York Times, “It could take them three, four months, or longer. If it goes longer than that, that’s disappointing, and that starts to impact the Artemis program.”

New Glenn’s Role in NASA’s Artemis Program

The New Glenn rocket was designed to launch Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander, one of two vehicles NASA has selected to transport astronauts to the lunar surface as part of its Artemis program. The other contractor, SpaceX, is developing its Starship rocket, which has also faced repeated launch failures and explosions during testing.

The Artemis program’s timeline has already been delayed, with the first crewed Moon landing now scheduled for no earlier than 2028—four years later than originally planned. The New Glenn failure further complicates these efforts. NASA is preparing for the Artemis 3 mission, tentatively set for next year, which will involve testing docking procedures in Earth’s orbit. This mission will require multiple simultaneous rocket launches, including NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, to proceed flawlessly.

“That’s also going to be a demonstration of whether or not we can actually pull off these multiple launch scenarios that we’re betting the farm on. It’ll be new, and it’ll be the first time you’re doing all that, so that it will have its challenges.” — Daniel Dumbacher, Purdue University professor and former NASA official

Blue Origin’s Ambitious—and Uncertain—Future

Without a functional New Glenn rocket, Blue Origin’s ability to participate in the Artemis 3 mission remains in question. The company had planned to launch a Mark 1 test lander to the Moon by the end of this year as part of an inaugural demonstration mission. However, the recent failure casts doubt on this timeline. Dumbacher added, “If I’m a year out and I don’t know what my mission profile looks like yet for something I’m doing for the first time, I’m getting nervous really quick.”