BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — During a special media tour of its Merritt Island factory, officials shared details about the New Glenn rocket, which will send a spacecraft to the moon and, eventually, humans to Earth’s lunar sister as part of an Artemis mission.
What You Need To Know
- Blue Origin’s Senior Vice President of Lunar Permanence John Couluris gives the press a tour of the New Glenn rocket factory
- The 750,000-square-foot facility builds the rocket that will eventually return humans to the moon
- The company’s Blue Moon lunar lander will be part of the Artemis moon mission
Blue Origin’s Senior Vice President of Lunar Permanence John Couluris led the Friday-morning tour as he described how the assembly line worked as engineers and technicians were putting together a 322-foot-tall (98-meter) New Glenn rocket.
Couluris shared how the 750,000-square-foot facility has various sections that are tasked with different responsibilities, such as working on different parts of the rocket, like the parts of the upper stage or how one section is where the “plumbing” (electrical wires and tubes) is fitted into the rocket.
For those who are Disney fans, this facility is wider than if Cinderella’s Castle were laid on its side, as described by the company’s Chief of Staff, Richard “Hooty” Hudacek.
Other sections were designated for fusion welding, various testing labs and electronics as countless technicians and engineers were either working on different parts or inspecting them and taking measurements or going over programs on computer screens.
A different section of the factory is where the 72-foot-tall (21.9-meter) fairing is processed for a specific mission. A fairing sits on top of the rocket and it encapsulates the payload, such as a satellite or a lunar spacecraft. (More on that a bit later.)
In fact, while describing how the team of technicians prepares a new fairing for a mission, Couluris shared a bit of insider information on the look.
“The paint we use here is special. It’s allowed for (protection against) lightning strikes and that kind of thing. So, it’s more than just paint. It provides a couple of things. It’s reflectivity, because there’s no insulation on it. So, it reflects the sun to keep the payload (cool),” he said.
During the tour, Spectrum News asked what type of solutions were found when faced with the challenges of creating a rocket that will take humans to the moon in the Artemis V mission.
“I mean, there are many challenges. And many solutions. I’d say from a solution space, learning from other industries,” Couluris said.
Especially from industries that are used to manufacturing items at high rates, such as airline, auto and electronics, he added.
“That’s driven down the cost of our electronics and the speed that we can build much more, right? It’s so much faster and so much less expensive,” he said.
But Couluris stressed the importance of “responsible speed” and not going so fast that mistakes happen.
During the tour, Couluris talked about how area high schools have programs where students can be certified in various disciplines and can start work at the Blue Origin facility at Merritt Island once they graduate.
The media tour was organized by U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos, who is the chairman of the U.S. Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee.
Before the tour kicked off, both Haridopolos and Couluris spoke about Blue Origin’s mission in the building’s lobby, where a replica of the company’s Blue Moon lunar lander sits.
Haridopolos said the commercial space industry has helped America “lead the charge” of not just sending astronauts to orbit, but will eventually return humans to the moon and then, beyond.
This is a replica of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander will send humans back to the moon in a future Artemis mission. (Spectrum News/Anthony Leone)
Going to the moon
Couluris talked about how Blue Origin is a Florida company and how it is growing.
“The Space Coast is perfectly situated to open up the rest of the Solar System. It starts with low-Earth orbit, it continues onto the moon, which is my program, and then continues on to Mars, the asteroid belts and beyond,” he said.
Blue Origin’s headquarters is based in Kent, Washington.
Couluris also talked about the company’s New Glenn rocket that will help get humans and equipment back to the moon, like the the company’s Blue Moon lunar lander.
A replica of the spacecraft was in the lobby of Blue Origin and took center stage as Couluris talked about how it will venture to the moon.
“That’s the vehicle that’s going to take us to the moon,” he said of the New Glenn rocket. “That vehicle will take our lunar lander to the moon. This is the Mark 1 lander. … It has the unique capability to land anywhere on the moon.”
The Blue Moon Mark 1 is an uncrewed lunar lander and its first assignment will be the Pathfinder Mission (MK1-SN001), a NASA mission that is designed to study the craft and its systems, plus the BE-7 engine, while also testing to see if it can land within a 100-meter accuracy of the landing site.
The uncrewed mission is set for early 2026 and if successful, it will be a big step toward the Artemis V mission.
The Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander will be taking humans back to the moon.
In fact, during the tour, Couluris showed members of the media the outside of Lunar Plant 1.
“So, that’s where the Artemis landers will be built. We just opened the facility last week. And you can see the other construction going on, how we’ll have heavy equipment feeding these factories that then feed the rocket, then feed the launch pad to space,” he said, adding that between 1,500 to 2,000 people were working in the 200,000-square-foot blue-colored plant.
After the tour, Haridopolos talked about the importance of Americans returning to the moon before China’s planned 2030 crewed mission.
