NASA and Blue Origin announced on Friday (24) the formalization of an agreement that will allow for hot fire testing of the second stage of the New Glenn rocket. These tests will take place on test stand B-2, located at the Stennis Space Center, which belongs to the U.S. space agency, near Bay St. Louis, in Mississippi state, USA.
Details of the Agreement and Future Commitments
This understanding was established through an addendum to a reimbursable Space Act Agreement, which was signed earlier this month. According to NASA, this collaboration reinforces the agency's commitment to cooperating with commercial partners to realize the future stages of the Artemis program, which are planned for 2027 and subsequent years.
Political Reactions to the Partnership
The announcement generated celebration among political representatives from Mississippi, who emphasized the strategic relevance of the Stennis Space Center to the United States aerospace industry. Senator Roger Wicker stated that Stennis remains a vital center for the commercial space industry, warmly welcoming Blue Origin's return to the coast and its historic testing facilities.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith highlighted the center's contribution to the Artemis program and advocated for the partnership to be established permanently. She expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of Blue Origin implementing a rigorous testing program in Mississippi for future American crewed missions to the Moon and beyond, hoping that the use of test stand B-2 becomes a long-term arrangement.
Meanwhile, Representative Mike Ezell stated that the pact benefits both space exploration and the local economy. He noted that Mississippi maintains a crucial role in the U.S. space program, and this agreement represents a major achievement for the Stennis Space Center, as the capabilities of test stand B-2 will aid in advancing the next generation of rocket propulsion, fostering specialized jobs and strengthening the United States' global position in space exploration.
Goals of the Artemis Missions and Innovation
The tests of the New Glenn's second stage are scheduled to begin during the autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. They are part of NASA's efforts to achieve the national goal of returning American astronauts to the lunar surface and establishing a lunar base near the lunar South Pole. These objectives aim to consolidate U.S. leadership in space exploration, drive scientific discoveries, stimulate innovation in conjunction with the industrial sector, and prepare for future crewed missions to Mars.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stressed that cooperation with private companies is fundamental to accelerating this process. He argued that winning the new space race requires progressing faster and working alongside a robust commercial industry. Supporting Blue Origin at NASA's Stennis Space Center places world-class infrastructure at the service of advancing the capabilities needed to send astronauts to the Moon, maintain a sustained lunar presence, and prepare for Mars, thereby strengthening the U.S. industrial base.
Role of New Glenn in Lunar Missions
NASA communicated that following the success of the Artemis 2 flight in April, the Artemis 3 campaign will include a multi-launch operation. This mission will use four astronauts to test the rendezvous and docking functionalities of the Orion capsule with the commercial human landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX in low Earth orbit. In this scenario, the New Glenn rocket will be employed to launch missions destined for lunar landing.
Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, stated that the partnership strengthens the company's plans for lunar exploration. He expressed pride in forming the alliance with NASA and reinforcing the mutual commitment to bringing America back to the Moon, in addition to its greater mission of paving a path to space for the benefit of Earth. Limp added that Stennis helped Americans reach the Moon, and through this partnership, it will help bring them back.
Additionally, the agency mentioned that in May, it announced the first three missions of the Lunar Gateway to begin continuous operations on the satellite's surface. One of these missions involves a contract with Blue Origin to launch a robotic mission this autumn. The Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander will carry NASA supplies to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge region at the lunar South Pole, with the aim of demonstrating technologies that minimize risks for the crewed landings planned for Artemis 4 and Artemis 5 in 2028.
Technical Support Provided by NASA
As part of the agreement, NASA will assume responsibility for providing engineers, equipment, and construction services. This will be done to design, manufacture, and install the necessary components to adapt test stand B-2 for the New Glenn's second stage tests. This upper stage of the rocket was named after astronaut John Glenn, the first American to reach Earth orbit, and it is equipped with two BE-3 engines, which use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants. Each engine has the capacity to generate 90 tons of thrust in a vacuum.
In addition to physical infrastructure, the agency will provide an exclusive workspace for Blue Origin teams and share its accumulated knowledge and lessons learned from previous propulsion testing campaigns conducted at Stennis.
History of the Facility
Test stand B-2 has a historical trajectory linked to U.S. lunar exploration. Built by NASA in the 1960s, this structure was used to test stages of the Saturn V rocket, which was responsible for transporting astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo program. More recently, the facility hosted the Green Run test campaign of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, conducted before the inaugural launch of the Artemis 1 mission.
