Verified facts grounded in source documentation.
United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and Blue Origin are developing new rockets and upgrading existing vehicles for the Phase 2 competition.
Blue Origin planned to hot fire the BE-7 engine for the first time in the summer following the 2019-05-09 event.
Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance and Northrop Grumman are developing new vehicles that are not expected to fly until 2021.
Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance and Northrop Grumman were awarded a total of $2,300,000,000 in Launch Service Agreement (LSA) funding in October to develop next-generation rockets and supporting infrastructure.
The largest single deal in 2018 was an estimated $750,000,000 invested in Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos.
New rockets being developed by United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman might not be certified for national security launches until at least 2020 or 2021.
Blue Origin is redeveloping Launch Complex 36 for New Glenn launches with a first launch scheduled for 2021.
The Launch Service Agreement program awarded $2,300,000,000 worth of contracts to United Launch Alliance, Northrop Grumman, and Blue Origin to develop next-generation launch vehicles.
Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard rocket has conducted 10 launches using three different vehicles, including one with a propulsion module crash during landing, five with a second vehicle that launched and landed successfully each time before retiring, and four with a third New Shepard whose most recent launch was 2019-01-23.
Blue Origin plans to invest over $200,000,000 in the Huntsville engine production facility.
Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman did not expect to conduct first launches of their LSA-funded rockets until 2021.
United Launch Alliance will use a pair of Blue Origin BE-4 engines using liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the first stage of its Vulcan rocket expected to make a first launch in mid-2020.