Blue Origin is keen on developing a fully reusable rocket stage that will ferry its New Glenn rocket, as per images shared by Ars Technica. The test tank looks a lot like SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster prototypes – which is surprising as both companies are currently entangled in a bitter feud.
Space race getting fiercer
The rocket under construction has the codename “Project Jarvis.” The first test tank rolled out today to Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As per the report, Blue Origin has developed a fast and iterative engineering process to test try out different test tank designs.
It remains to be seen what kind of landing system Jeff Bezos’s space company will use finally. It’s likely Blue Origin will go with the SpaceX-style vertical landing once the booster has delivered the payload. The space race is getting fiercer, with both space firms attempting to establish a heavy-lift launch system that can explore deep space and eventually land humans on the lunar surface.
Blue Origin Vs SpaceX
Recently, Blue Origin sued NASA with the US Court of Federal Claims. The firm filed a complaint about the space agency’s handling of the Human Landing System program. The court challenge comes right after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) rejected a protest filed by Blue Origin against NASA’s decision to award a single contract for the Artemis Moon mission.
NASA gave the $2.9 billion contract to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, opting not to choose a $5.9 billion proposal from Blue Origin. NASA’s intention was to sign two separate contracts at first, but limited funding from Congress didn’t let that happen.
Blue Origin has been very keen on getting the NASA contract for the Moon lander. The company recently made history with its first commercial spaceflight. Blue Origin is planning two more passenger flights this year. The first spaceflight saw founder Jeff Bezos and three other crew members traveling to the edge of space. The company is yet to announce the per-seat pricing and other details about the launch date of the next two flights.
