Blue Origin partners with NASA for New Glenn testing at Mississippi

Blue Origin and NASA have signed an agreement to use the historic B‑2 test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for hot‑fire testing of the upper stage of the New Glenn heavy‑lift rocket. The partnership follows a launch‑pad accident at Cape Canaveral that destroyed Blue Origin’s primary test pad, prompting the company to relocate its second‑stage testing to the Apollo‑era facility.

The retrofit will accommodate the New Glenn’s two BE‑3 engines, each delivering about 200,000 lb of thrust, with testing scheduled to begin in the fall. This marks the first time a private rocket’s upper stage will be tested at the site, which previously served Saturn V, the Space Shuttle and NASA’s SLS core stage.

The collaboration supports both companies’ goals for the Artemis program and aims to keep New Glenn’s development timeline on track.