Ars Technica Discusses Rocket Failure with Space Industry Experts

Ars Technica held a live discussion this week with two space industry experts regarding the aftermath of the catastrophic explosion of the New Glenn rocket in late May.

During the conversation, Ars Technica Space Editor Eric Berger, along with Caleb Henry, director of research at Quilty Space, and Anthony Colangelo, host of the Main Engine Cut Off podcast, discussed various topics. Chief among these were the implications of this failure for NASA's attempt to land humans on the Moon for the Artemis IV mission.

Experts noted that both Blue Origin and SpaceX are developing landers and rockets to support this goal. Berger reported that Blue Origin's current "architecture" for a human mission would require four launches of a new variant of the New Glenn rocket, known as 9x4. This version features nine first-stage engines, making it more powerful than the "7x2" variant that exploded just over a month prior.

Blue Origin has not set a target date for the 9x4 rocket's debut, but sources indicate the company is targeting late 2027 or early 2028. The rocket's failure raises questions about project timelines and the overall progress in the space sector.