I think that's a fair summary although instead of "Scrambling," SpaceNews used the term "racing to meet".
This week, the company rolled the upper stage of this rocket to the launch pad on Sept. 3
for a static fire test, and on Sept 4, the Jacklyn, arrived
at Port Canaveral. Jacklyn (named after Jeff after Bezos' mother) is a
European-built ship that will serve as the landing platform for New Glenn’s
first stage, at Port Canaveral. Same task as A Shortfall Of Gravitas, shorter name. Photos here.
The first mission of New Glenn, to launch NASA's two ESCAPADE satellites to Mars is fast approaching with little to no room for failure. Launch is No Earlier Than October 13 (liftoff time has not been announced). NASA said on Aug. 29 that the window is short and closes Oct. 21. That means if it doesn't launch by the 21st that the mission has to wait two years for the next optimum window.
The milestone mentioned as "still to be done" that made me wince was this:
The company said Aug. 27 that it integrated the final section of the first stage, the aft element, to the rest of the booster, but had yet to install the seven BE-4 engines in the stage.
Not having installed the engines in the first stage of New Glenn obviously means they haven't done a static fire test. Which, in turn, means there has been very little testing done on stage 1. With a rocket that has never been static fired, it's more of a concern than with a more mature rocket. It might mean they've never done a cryogenic test; just filling the tanks with super cold liquids to ensure everything is connected properly.
Dave Limp, the chief executive of Blue Origin, admitted the company still had a lot of work ahead to get the vehicle ready for launch. “Still lots to do but progress,” he said on social media Aug. 27 in response to a question about the work remaining to get ready for launch. He cited milestones that included the static-fire test of the second stage, arrival of Jacklyn and engine integration.
“And yes, lots of unique challenges as our first flight, but folks are excited and leaning in big-time,” he added.
The New Glenn second stage on the test stand in Launch Complex 36. Image Credit: Blue Origin
If New Glenn is not ready by the time the ESCAPADE launch window closes Oct. 21, it’s not clear what payload will fly in its place on the rocket’s inaugural launch, or even what will happen to ESCAPADE itself.
All I can think of to conclude with here is to say it's high stakes for Blue Origin. High stakes indeed.
Blue Origin faces a race against time to ready New Glenn for its inaugural mission, with significant milestones still ahead. High stakes, indeed. 🚀⏳
ReplyDeleteEven with all of SpaceX's experiences to look at and use as reference, that is one heck of a high hurdle to accomplish and expect a first successful flight with all they must do and it being a first launch. Good luck to them they are gonna need all the help they can garner.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they're not going to make it.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is it high-priority missions on a totally untested and unflown piece of hardware?
What? NASA couldn't hire SpaceX for the same mission, and have a very good chance of it actually making it, on time and under budget?
Maybe the "over" part of the NG budget goes to the folks making the decisions...
Deletehttps://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/new-glenns-debut-will-slip-into-november-as-nasa-decides-to-not-fuel-escapade/
ReplyDeleteWow. Can't tell what time NASA released that info today, but it is dated today. Eric's update on Ars is timed 5:05 PM.
DeleteFrom the first paragraph at the NASA blogs:
"While future launch opportunities are under review, the next possible earliest launch date is spring 2025."
Kind of reminiscence similarities of reading what ULA and NASA people recently discussed in public regarding the possibilities of bringing 2 of their astronauts back on their space vehicle. You got to take them at face value give benefit of doubt, cause your an honest person, yet all along you get that tiny strange sensation you are not being told the honest truth.
ReplyDeleteYou AREN'T being told the truth, honest or otherwise.
DeleteThis is the MO nowadays of these companies, they are trying to cover their asses in spite of the fact that they are NOT getting the job done. And still sucking up taxpayer money in job lots!!
Guess they changed their minds:
ReplyDelete'Faced with a tight deadline, NASA and Blue Origin agree to delay New Glenn debut'
"We can’t take our foot off the pedal here."
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/new-glenns-debut-will-slip-into-november-as-nasa-decides-to-not-fuel-escapade/
"We can’t take our foot off the pedal here." is equivanent to "We *still* can't pull our heads out of our asses and find somebody that can do the job!!"
DeleteHave they even discussed this with SpaceX, I wonder?
I notice something about SpaceX manufacturing operations which seems to be a critical aspect of how they are able to move so rapidly in their SuperHeavy program, which in my mind is a definitive critical difference compared with say ULA and BO. Its the style of the manufacturing "floor", where SpaceX has been running a more or less job shop metal fabrication manufacturing business, they have removed an entire mind set the legacy companies adhere to, from FOD to especially PO's and QP's, which instead of being written in stone and no deviation is permitted, SX seems to have pared down how they run the floor to keeping only the most essential aspects of traceability, combined it with a very clean lean and rapid iteration style, more like a very well equipped and innovative precision sheetmetal job shoo, with floor labor staff doing skilled craftwork combined with very creative robotic methods wherever it can be implemented with common sense. Basically they have greatly streamlined and increased output there of, the whole traditional aerospace manufacturing style apoears to be thrown out the door, relying instead on skilled labor and engineering and materials procurement working together in ways not typical of legacy aerospace shops. Essentially they built a metal fab job shop, attached a very high quality approach, but with a intense flexibility which enables them to rapidly iterate. Its a truly intriguing style and methodology, and most importantly it works swimmingly. And on the scale of operations you could say they are true leaders in getting successful innovative out of the box working cutting edge product out the door while achieving milestones that simply blow the competition away.
ReplyDeleteAnd i say this with a career as an aerospace welder fitter accustomed to the legacy aerospace industry processes and procedures, quality procedures and the underlying legacy style all important traceability component underlying and driving all it's manufacturing engineering and QC.
Quite frankly, for me, it is quite an admirable achuevement overall in iys effect, which as its said, the proof is in the pudding, backed up with how most of which impedes or holds back SpaceX is from outside it's purview and control, say like FAA regs and that lefacy dinosaur which if anything needs to be dynamited and buried if the human race is going to achieve true off world sustainable occupation and things like space mining or zero G manufacturing.
Thats solely my personal observations and opinions. I have great admiration for the concrete viable achievements of SpaceX's endeavors, quite remarkable how they threw the old book out the window, they truly git er done.
Well, you took more than a few words to say it, but you nailed the reasons SpaceX is dancing around the Old Guard and making such enemies in the Space Industry.
DeleteIt's sorta like the automobile - it was originally hand-crafted by good tradesman, and then Henry Ford came along and mass-produced the Model A by using faster and better manufacturing techniques, doing things differently and ending up with faster/cheaper cars that could be afforded by everybody. (I'll admit the analogy is not perfect but you get the idea...)