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Blue Origin plans new Florida launch pads to raise New Glenn flight rate
Blue Origin says it will add new launch pads on Florida's Space Coast, modeled on its Launch Complex 36 site, to support a much higher New Glenn flight rate. The company's long-term goal is multiple flights per week by the end of the decade, but the pad locations are undisclosed and the faster cadence still needs FAA approval.
- LC-36A is being rebuilt after a May test-fire explosion and serves the New Glenn 7×2; LC-36B, under construction, will support the 9×4 variant.
- The FAA is taking comment on a request to raise LC-36A from 12 permitted flights to 50; a virtual hearing is set for October 22 and comments close October 30.
- A $330 million expansion at Rocket Park is expected to be complete by summer 2027 and could produce up to 150 upper stages per year.
- Founder Jeff Bezos said Blue Origin still aims to fly the 7×2 again before the end of 2026; that date is an aim, not a confirmed schedule.