Blue Origin Gears Up for Third New Glenn Launch with Static Fire Test Complete
It is shaping up to be an exciting week for Blue Origin and the New Glenn program as the company prepares for the third flight of its heavy-lift rocket, which is scheduled to launch on Sunday, April 19th from LC-36 in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 6:45 a.m. EDT. Notably the mission will carry AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite into low Earth orbit. NG-3 will mark the first time a New Glenn booster is reused, which is a great step toward achieving a higher launch cadence.
Last week, the integrated New Glenn vehicle rolled out to Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Teams erected the approximately 320-foot-tall rocket and conducted final checks ahead of the test campaign. A few days later, Blue Origin completed a full wet dress rehearsal, loading the rocket with propellant to test onboard and ground systems (except engine ignition). The company later posted that the rehearsal was successful and initially targeted a hot-fire test of the vehicle for the next day. The first hot-fire attempt was scrubbed for unknown reasons, but teams quickly reset and were able to fire the next day. Propellant loading was observed the morning of the 16th, followed by a successful hot fire shortly after 7:54 a.m. EDT that lasted 19 seconds. Blue Origin posted on X that the test went well which means that the stage is set for yet another New Glenn launch from Florida’s Space Coast.
With data review underway, NG-3 is currently scheduled for no earlier than April 19, 2026, confirmed by Blue Origin via their social channels. NG-3 will fly on the reused first-stage booster nicknamed “Never Tell Me the Odds.” This booster achieved Blue Origin’s first successful New Glenn landing during the NG-2 mission in November 2025, landing on the company’s landing platform vessel named Jacklyn out at sea. During refurbishment, the team replaced all seven BE-4 engines.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp posted on X:
“With our first refurbished booster we elected to replace all seven engines and test out a few upgrades including a thermal protection system on one of the engine nozzles. We plan to use the engines we flew for NG-2 on future flights.”
After liftoff, the booster will attempt another landing on the Jacklyn landing barge.
The payload for NG-3 is AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7, a next-generation Block 2 satellite and one of dozens planned for the company’s constellation. BlueBird 7 will help advance AST SpaceMobile’s goal of delivering 24/7 high-speed cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones anywhere in the world. The satellite features a visually striking, nearly 2,400-square-foot phased array antenna which is one of the largest communication arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit. With key milestones like rollout, wet dress rehearsal, and a successful hot fire now complete, Blue Origin is ready to launch its third New Glenn mission in just over a year. Stay tuned to the Launch Heaven and Blue Origin social media pages for the latest updates.
( Photo Credit: Blue Origin)
