New Glenn rocket gets a ride

TII’s HighwayGiant transports the rocket booster.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket represents a significant leap forward in reusable heavy-lift launch technology. Named after astronaut John Glenn, this two-stage rocket is designed to transport a wide range of payloads

into low Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit and beyond. The private space company was founded by Jeff Bezos and is in direct competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX program.

The rocket’s first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, each producing 550,000 pounds of thrust. It is engineered to be reusable, landing vertically on an autonomous ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, much like Blue Origin’s smaller New Shepard rocket. This reusability aligns with Blue Origin’s mission to reduce the cost of access to space and support a robust space economy, the company said.

Towed into port by Blue Origin’s ship Harvey Stone, the name of the landing platform for the New Glenn rocket is Jacklyn.

According to a statement by Blue Origin, the initiative addresses two of the most difficult challenges in spaceflight today: growing space infrastructure and the need for increased mobility in space.

Tasked with the out-of-this-world transport was TII Scheuerle’s HighwayGiant. The HighwayGiant is a dual-lane trailer engineered for the transport of exceptionally heavy loads, such as Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket booster. The trailer features an integrated folding mechanism that allows it to be compacted for permit-free empty travel, reducing time and mobilization costs. Its modular design accommodates various vehicle widths, ensuring compliance with diverse regional regulations across the United States.

In a post on LinkedIn, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the transporter comprises two trailers connected by cradles and a strongback assembly designed in-house.

A caravan transports a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket first stage past the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

“There are 22 axles and 176 tires on this transport vehicle,” Limp wrote. “It’s towed by an Oshkosh M1070, a repurposed U.S. Army tank transporter with 505hp and 1,825 pound-feet of torque. Seems fitting we’ve named it GERT – Giant Enormous Rocket Truck. The distance between GERT’s front bumper and the trailer’s rear is 310 feet, about the length of a football field.”

Built and integrated at Blue Origin’s facility in Exploration Park, FL, the New Glenn program epitomizes efficiency. The manufacturing and launch infrastructure is centralized, with the rocket booster constructed, tested and launched within a short distance of the Kennedy Space Center. Transportation logistics for the rocket are equally innovative; its recoverable first stage is designed to be refurbished and reused for multiple launches.

At press time, New Glenn was approaching its inaugural flight on January 15. The rocket’s first mission, NG-1, will carry Blue Origin’s Blue Ring Pathfinder payload and will serve as a certification flight for the National Security Space Launch program.