Blue Origin Reveals a Super-Heavy New Glenn Variant Taller Than Saturn V

Just days after completing an entirely successful second flight of its New Glenn mega rocket, Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has unveiled plans for an even larger version of the launch system. The newly revealed design shows a super-heavy variant of New Glenn that will exceed the height of NASA’s historic Saturn V and stand on par with SpaceX’s Starship.

This upgraded New Glenn will use nine engines on its booster and four engines on its upper stage — an increase from the current configuration of seven and two. Blue Origin says both versions will continue flying and are now categorised as New Glenn 9×4 and New Glenn 7×2.

The additional engines significantly boost total thrust, enabling the new configuration to lift over 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, placing it just below Starship’s theoretical 100-ton payload capacity. SpaceX is already working on new Starship variants that may double that figure.

The super-heavy New Glenn will also feature a much larger payload fairing, allowing it to carry bigger spacecraft and mission hardware. Blue Origin says this expanded capability positions the rocket for missions involving prominent satellite constellations, lunar and deep-space exploration, and national security projects such as Golden Dome.

The rendering shared by the company on Thursday highlights these ambitions: a dramatic ground-up view of the New Glenn 9×4 at liftoff, with a prominently enlarged moon hovering above the rocket.

The current 7×2 version also received improvements. Blue Origin increased its total thrust and announced that it will now incorporate reusable fairings, along with a series of more minor upgrades designed to shorten turnaround times between launches.

Blue Origin has not officially scheduled its next launch, but the timeline currently points to early 2026. CEO Dave Limp also hinted that the company may attempt to launch and land its uncrewed Blue Origin Mark 1 lunar lander on the moon in the near future.