Blue Origin has pushed the return to flight of its New Glenn rocket to January 2027, abandoning its target of flying again before the end of this year.

The delay was disclosed in an internal memo from chief executive Dave Limp, first reported by the Financial Times on 5 November and seen by Reuters. In the memo, Limp told staff the company was proactively updating its anticipated launch date to January 2027 as it completes rebuilding work and prepares for testing.

The setback traces back to May, when a New Glenn rocket exploded during a ground test at Launch Complex 36 in Florida, badly damaging the company's only launch pad there. The blast came days before the rocket was due to carry Amazon satellites into orbit. Blue Origin had said it still planned to fly again this year, and founder Jeff Bezos had suggested in October that a launch was likely in December.

According to the memo, the launch pad's vehicle access tower has been repaired and restacked and the launch bridge restored, but summer weather slowed the rebuild. The new January target is only about ten days beyond the previous goal, but it pushes the return into a new calendar year and leaves less room before NASA's planned Artemis III demonstration mission next year, which involves technology from Blue Origin and SpaceX.

The delay emerged as Blue Origin unveiled two new pieces of hardware: GS3, a third stage for New Glenn designed for missions including direct injection into geostationary orbit, and Northstar, a booster engine the company says has half the parts and 30 per cent less mass than its BE-4 engine. No exact date in January has been announced for the return flight.

[Source: theregister.com](https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/11/06/blue-origin-unveils-more-thrust-less-haste-as-new-glenn-slips-to-2027/5308138) | [Source: engadget.com](https://www.engadget.com/2308647/blue-origin-new-glenn-launch-delay-will-continue-into-2027/)