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New Glenn lands its booster in two tries. SpaceX took many more.
CSIS strategic analysis of NG-2's implications: Blue Origin is now the second entity globally to routinely recover orbital-class boosters. The success unlocks the path to NSSL certification, Blue Moon Mk1 launch in 2026, and Artemis HLS relevance. Key question: can Blue Origin scale cadence fast enough to compete with SpaceX's 165+ flights per year?
Only SpaceX could land orbital boosters. Then came Blue Origin.
Expert analysis of NG-2 booster recovery: the achievement establishes a second provider of partially reusable orbital launch, reducing launch market concentration. Compares Blue Origin's methodical approach to SpaceX's faster, more iterative development. Notes SpaceX is on pace for 165-170 launches in 2025 vs New Glenn's two.
Blue Origin just became the second company to ever land an orbital booster. It only took two tries.
Official Blue Origin press release on NG-2 full mission success: ESCAPADE twin spacecraft deployed to loiter orbit for Mars transit, and booster "Never Tell Me the Odds" landed on Jacklyn 375 miles offshore. CEO Dave Limp: "Never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try." Sets up Blue Moon Mk1 lunar lander mission in 2026.
NG-2 full success: Blue Origin joins the booster-recovery club with just two flights.
NSF technical coverage of NG-2: New Glenn's 7 BE-4 engines ignited nominally, payload deployed to designated MEO loiter orbit, and GS-1 booster executed a successful barge landing — only the second such feat in history after SpaceX's Falcon family. ESCAPADE spacecraft built on Rocket Lab Photon heritage; will begin Mars transit in fall 2026 when planets align.