Blue Origin has announced an additional stage for its New Glenn rocket, intended to place satellites directly into geostationary orbit and send payloads toward the Moon. The design uses an engine developed for the company’s lunar lander. An unnamed government customer has booked a mission targeting 2028, according to the company.
Blue Origin has announced a third stage for New Glenn, its large orbital rocket. The new stage, called GS3, is intended to deliver satellites directly into geostationary orbit and send exploration payloads toward the Moon and deeper space. The company unveiled the design on 5 November, adding another proposed configuration to a rocket currently flown with two stages.[1], [2]
A single BE-7 engine is planned to power the stage. Blue Origin developed that engine for Blue Moon, its lunar landing spacecraft. The company says the additional stage can support operations around the Moon by placing payloads onto a lunar transfer trajectory while conserving their own propellant for later manoeuvres.[1]
An unnamed government customer has booked a mission to the space between Earth and the Moon, targeting 2028, according to Blue Origin. The announcement presents the third stage as a development programme, with that mission still ahead.[1]
New Glenn first flew in January 2025 and returned in November 2025 and April 2026. On the April flight, it released the BlueBird 7 communications satellite into the wrong orbit and the satellite was lost. A May engine test then damaged the launch pad. Work on the new third stage continued alongside repairs to that facility in Florida.[1]
