History of Blue Origin in Timeline

Blue Origin is an American space technology company based in Kent, Washington. They operate the New Shepard suborbital rocket and are developing the New Glenn heavy-lift rocket. Blue Origin also manufactures engines for other launch vehicles, such as ULA's Vulcan Centaur. The company is involved in NASA's Artemis program, developing the Blue Moon human lunar lander. Additionally, they are working on the Blue Ring spacecraft platform and the Orbital Reef space station in collaboration with other organizations, demonstrating a broad portfolio of space-related projects.

November 2006: First Test Vehicle Launch

In November 2006, Blue Origin launched its first test vehicle, the Goddard rocket, which reached an altitude of 285 feet.

December 2013: Full-Duration Sub-Orbital Burn

By December 2013, the BE-3 engine had been successfully tested on a full-duration sub-orbital burn, with simulated coast phases and engine relights.

September 2015: Orbital Launch Vehicle Intentions Announced

In September 2015, Blue Origin publicly announced their orbital launch vehicle intentions, signaling a major step in their development plans.

January 2016: New Rocket Indication

In January 2016, the company indicated that the new rocket would be many times larger than New Shepard.

September 2016: New Glenn Publicly Released

In September 2016, Blue Origin publicly released the high-level design of their new orbital launch vehicle and announced its name as "New Glenn".

September 2016: New Glenn Specifications Publicly Unveiled

In September 2016, illustrations of the New Glenn vehicle and the high-level specifications, were initially publicly unveiled.

June 2019: First Ignition Tests of BE-7 Engine

In June 2019, Blue Origin performed the first ignition tests of the BE-7 engine, which is designed for use on Blue Moon.

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June 6, 2020: Establishment of New Headquarters and R&D Facility

On June 6, 2020, Blue Origin established a new headquarters and R&D facility, called the O'Neill Building.

July 20, 2021: First Crewed Mission to Sub-Orbital Space

On July 20, 2021, New Shepard performed its first crewed mission to sub-orbital space, named Blue Origin NS-16, with Jeff Bezos and other passengers crossing the Kármán line.

October 31, 2022: Delivery of BE-4 Engines to ULA

On October 31, 2022, Blue Origin announced the delivery of the first two BE-4 engines to ULA for integration on a Vulcan rocket.

January 2023: First BE-4 Engine Delivery

In January 2023, Blue Origin delivered its first BE-4 rocket engine to United Launch Alliance, marking a key achievement in the company's progress.

February 9, 2023: NASA Selects New Glenn for ESCAPADE Launch

On February 9, 2023, NASA announced it had selected the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle for the launch of two Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) spacecraft.

May 19, 2023: NASA Contract for Blue Moon Development

On May 19, 2023, NASA contracted Blue Origin to develop, test, and deploy the Blue Moon landing system for the Artemis V mission for $3.4 billion. The contract includes a crewed Moon landing planned for 2029.

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June 7, 2023: ULA Flight Readiness Firing

On June 7, 2023, United Launch Alliance (ULA) performed a Flight Readiness Firing of the Vulcan Centaur rocket at launch pad 41, with the two BE-4 rocket engines working as expected.

September 2023: Leadership Change

In September 2023, Dave Limp was appointed as CEO of Blue Origin, succeeding Bob Smith, to address criticisms about the company's slow progress.

October 2023: Blue Ring Vehicle Announcement

In October 2023, Blue Origin announced the Blue Ring vehicle, designed for orbital logistics and delivery.

2023: Thrust chamber assembly testing continuing

Thrust chamber assembly testing of the BE-7 engine continued through 2023.

January 8, 2024: First Vulcan Centaur Launch

On January 8, 2024, the Vulcan Centaur launched for the first time, successfully carrying Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander using the BE-4 engine.

February 21, 2024: Full Vehicle Unveiling

On February 21, 2024, the full New Glenn vehicle was first unveiled on a launch pad.

March 2024: Partnership for DarkSky-1 Mission

In March 2024, it was announced that Blue Ring's capabilities will be tested on a mission called DarkSky-1, in partnership with the United States Space Force.

2024: Increased Funding for Orbital Reef

In 2024 NASA increased funding for Orbital Reef by $42 million, bringing the total award to $172 million.

2024: Funding from USSF

In 2024, Blue Origin received funding from the USSF to assess New Glenn's ability to launch national security payloads.

2024: Initial Acceptance Testing Completed

In mid-2024, Blue Origin announced the successful completion of initial acceptance testing on the thrusters for the MK1 variant of the Blue Moon lander.

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January 2025: New Glenn First Successful Launch

The heavy-lift launch vehicle New Glenn, was first successfully launched in January 2025.

January 16, 2025: First Successful New Glenn Launch and Blue Ring Pathfinder Deployment

On January 16, 2025, Blue Origin achieved its first successful launch of New Glenn from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 36, deploying the Blue Ring Pathfinder test satellite into orbit.

January 16, 2025: First New Glenn Launch

On January 16, 2025, Blue Origin achieved orbit with the first launch of the New Glenn vehicle, marking a significant milestone for the company.

February 25, 2025: 10th Space Tourism Mission

On the morning of February 25, 2025, Blue Origin launched its 10th space tourism mission, sending six paying passengers to suborbital space, marking the company's tenth human flight and 30th overall flight of New Shepard.

April 14, 2025: 11th Human Spaceflight

On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin completed its 11th human spaceflight and its 31st spaceflight for the New Shepard Program with an all-female crew of six.

2025: ESCAPADE launch

In Q2 of 2025 the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle will launch ESCAPADE with the ESCAPADE spacecraft entering Mars's orbit approximately one year after launch.

2025: New Glenn first successful launch

New Glenn first successfully launched in January 2025.

2029: crewed Moon landing planned

On May 19, 2023, NASA contracted Blue Origin to develop, test, and deploy the Blue Moon landing system for the Artemis V mission. The contract includes a crewed Moon landing planned for 2029.

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