As the new year rapidly approaches, new goals, records, and the arrival of players in the space arena are also being announced. Blue Origin, the most promising company expected to shake up the scene, is now making its main entry into the major space competition. So, what does 2026 hold for its giant rocket, New Glenn?
Production Rate: One Rocket per Month
In an interview with Ars Technica earlier this month, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp shared the progress they have made on the New Glenn project after two successful launches. “When I look at the factories—our engine factory in Huntsville, our rocket factory at Rocket Park, and Lunar Facility 1—I feel a tremendous amount of energy walking on the grounds,” Limp said.
In the interview, Limp revealed that the company has completed one complete New Glenn rocket per month. For now, this production rate is limited by the company’s ability to produce New Glenn’s second stage. “Building prototypes is easy, but building a machine that can produce machines at that speed in volume is much more challenging,” Limp said.
Limp believes the company can reach double-digit launch numbers (up to 12) by 2026, matching its production rate. If the company continues to be successful in scaling up vehicle production, it’s even possible that number could reach 24.
Limp explained his goals: “Reaching the top tier would be ambitious, but we want to be ‘hardware rich.’ So we want to keep building as fast as we can, and I think our launch cadence will increase with practice.”
In 2025, Blue Origin launched the New Glenn rocket twice: once in January and again just a few weeks ago with NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars. On the rocket’s second mission, Blue Origin achieved a significant feat by successfully returning and landing its booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
This low number shouldn’t be overlooked. Although the rocket is years late, its early success with a technology that only one other company (SpaceX) has perfected, such as propulsive landing, is an impressive performance.
