Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin shares new plan to reduce market dominance of Elon Musk’s SpaceX

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's rocket company, Blue Origin, is moving to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX's launch vehicle offerings by developing a super heavy-class rocket called the New Glenn 9×4. The company plans to build this vehicle in addition to upgrading its current rocket. In a recent blog post, Blue Origin said, “The next chapter in New Glenn’s roadmap is a new super heavy-class rocket.” The new rocket, named after the first American to orbit Earth, will feature nine engines on its first stage and four on its second. The current New Glenn, which has four fewer engines, will now be known as the 7×2. In a post on the social media platform X, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp shared a photo of the latest New Glenn model, showcasing the size difference compared to the older model.

What we know about Blue Origin’s latest New Glenn model

The New Glenn 9×4 will be capable of delivering more than 70 metric tons of payload to low Earth orbit, an increase from the 45 metric tons carried by the current New Glenn vehicle (which is classified as a heavy-lift vehicle).

This new capacity positions it to better compete with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, which can bring 64 metric tons into orbit, and its Starship vehicle, which is designed to carry 100 metric tons and is still undergoing testing.

Blue Origin noted that both the 9×4 and 7×2 vehicles “will be in use at the same time.” They will be utilised for missions including lunar exploration, launching “mega-constellations” of satellites and national security purposes such as the US Golden Dome project.


The update to New Glenn comes a week after Blue Origin’s second successful launch. The 7×2 model will receive several upgrades, including improved engines, which Blue Origin says will boost payload performance and reliability and support more frequent launches.

The reusable first-stage booster from New Glenn’s second launch was also returned for refurbishment this week. Soon after Blue Origin released its updated vehicle roadmap, SpaceX said its third-generation Super Heavy booster for Starship has begun prelaunch testing.

Blue Origin is competing not only with SpaceX but also with companies like Rocket Lab Corp., which are developing rockets capable of carrying large groups of satellites into orbit. Blue Origin is also seeking a role in NASA’s Artemis III mission.

Both Blue Origin and SpaceX have submitted proposals to build the lunar lander intended to return astronauts to the moon. The project was initially awarded to SpaceX, but the $2.9 billion contract was reopened after NASA raised concerns about delays in the Starship-based design.

According to Politico, SpaceX has shifted the planned launch date from mid-2027 to September 2028, based on internal company documents. Blue Origin already has a $3.4 billion contract for a lander for the Artemis V mission, scheduled for 2029. This week, the company also revealed an aerobrake designed to slow and protect payloads during their return to Earth.