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Work on the Blue Origin's new Glenn launch complex – the LC-36 – is well underway. Recent aerial footage of NOAA's Cape Canaveral shows how well Blue has arrived at the launch complex. At the same time, the company is also working on an Alabama engine plant and a first renovation center near the Kennedy Space Center.
LC-36 – Atlas-Centauri in New Glenn
The LC-36 was originally built to launch the Atlas-Centaur – with its revolutionary liquid-hydrogen upper stage. The complex was inaugurated on May 18, 1962. Due to the increasing flight speed of the Atlas-Centaur and its low reliability, a second platform – the LC-36B – was built near the existing LC-36A.
During the 1990s, the complex was modified to launch the Atlas I, II and III rockets. The LC-36B hosted the final launch of the complex – the final atlas III – on February 3, 2005. The site was deactivated and Atlas launches moved a few kilometers north of the SLC-41.
In 2007, the service structures of the LC-36 were demolished to eliminate the risk of accidental collapse of aging towers. When the complex was transferred to Space Florida in 2010, it was made available to companies for it to rent.
In 2015, Moon Express briefly used the site to test its lunar landing vehicles – after previously working at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).
Later in 2015, Blue Origin rented the complex to host its developing launcher, New Glenn. The company also leased the adjacent LC-11 for use as a test site for its methane-powered BE-4 engines, seven of which will power the first floor of New Glenn.
LC-36 Render with a New Glenn rocket on the pad. The HIF is visible on the left and the BE-4 test bench is visible on the right. Credit: Blue Origin.
Blue began renovating the site by demolishing many existing facilities, including launch pads. The company said that much of the concrete from the old platforms would be recycled in the new roads of the complex.
Unlike many launch companies in Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin decided to build its own white sheet launch platform for New Glenn.
Like many of their projects, Blue did not talk about the progress of building the platform. Its location, away from public display areas, also contributed to the lack of updates.
However, NOAA has recently embarked on an aerial imaging campaign after Hurricane Dorian on the east coast of Florida – which covered much of Cape Canaveral. During the campaign, NOAA captured a high resolution view of the LC-36 – showing how much the complex has evolved in its construction.
The images revealed that Blue had started the basic work of the horizontal integration system (HIF) of the complex. The HIF will be used to integrate and process New Glenn rockets before they are deployed on the platform.
An aerial view of the progress of the HIF. You can see the contours of the building and that of its large door facing the deck. Credit: NOAA.
Features around the launch pad are beginning to take shape. The foundations of the service structure are visible, as well as those of the flash mast and the water castle. Storage yards – which stock the propellants used by New Glenn – are also being installed.
For reference, the launch pad itself is under construction on the site of the former LC-36A, while the HIF is under construction just southwest of where the LC was located -36B.
A view of the launch pad at LC-36. The plinth and the flames trench are visible in the center, with the octagonal service structure foundation at the far left. The three foundations of the flash mast are just below the skate and those of the water tower at the bottom right of the picture. Credit: NOAA.
North of LC-36, Blue is building a BE-4 test rig at LC-11. The booth will use the same liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX) systems as the launch complex.
Renders released by Blue Origin suggests that the stand will have two bays – which means they can work on two engines at a time.
An aerial view of the LC-11, with the location of the future booth BE-4 in the center. Credit: NOAA.
New factories and support facilities
New Glenn vehicles will be built in Blue's dedicated plant at Exploration Park near the Kennedy Space Center. The factory was completed in 2017 and was equipped with machinery to assemble most of the major elements of New Glenn. These include stage tanks, half fairings and payload adapters – but not the engines. Blue Origin officials confirmed that elements of the first New Glenn were being built in the plant.
Work began on a refurbishment facility in New Glenn, located next to the exploration park's plant. Few details have been published, but it is known that the new building will be used to renovate and test the first floors of New Glenn recovered. According to Blue, each first leg will be evaluated for at least 25 flights.
View of the new building renovation and test facility. Part of the main New Glenn factory is visible on the right. Credit: NOAA.
The BE-4 engine will be used not only on New Glenn, but also on ULA's Vulcan rocket. The first BE-4 engines are under construction at Blue's headquarters in Kent, Washington, and are being tested at Blue Origin's West Texas facility.
In order to meet the future demand of the BE-4, Blue began construction of a $ 200 million plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The company started its work in January of this year and has progressed rapidly in its construction.
View of the Blue Origin BE-4 Engine Plant under construction on August 4, 2019. Source: Gliderflyer user for NSF / L2.
Once the BE-4 engines are completed in the new plant, they will be tested on a historic test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The stand, called building 4670, was formerly used to test the first floor of the Saturn V, the outer tank of the space shuttle and the RD-180 engine, used on the Atlas III and V.
The stand will also be used to test the new BE-3U hydrogen engine, an optimized variant for the New Shepard BE-3 main engine vacuum. Two BE-3U engines will be used for the second stage of New Glenn.
Currently, Blue Origin plans to launch for the first time in 2021 New Glenn of LC-36.
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