Blue Origin is Rapidly Rebuilding the Launch Pad After the New Glenn Rocket Explosion

At the end of May, there was a large explosion (the exact causes are still unknown) that took place at Launch Complex 36A (LC-36A), where a New Glenn rocket from Blue Origin was performing a static fire. Jeff Bezos's company immediately set to work to restore the ground facilities that were destroyed or damaged, aiming to quickly return to operational status, considering that this is currently the only pad available to launch the large reusable rocket.

Initial images showed a severe situation with uncertain timelines for the launch (talk of a year and a half). However, according to Dave Limp, the CEO of the U.S. company, New Glenn could potentially return to flight within the year, although certainty will only come when the restoration work on the LC-36A pad is well underway. In recent hours, Limp announced some updates, expressing cautious optimism.

Blue Origin: The Efforts to Launch New Glenn Again
Reports indicate that the large amount of data (telemetry and video) during the explosion of the first stage of the New Glenn rocket should help identify the causes of the problem and resolve it for future launches. The destroyed structures at the pad include the lightning tower, the transporter-erector, and the hydraulic cylinders, in addition to a first stage and a second stage (GS1 and GS2). According to Limp, within nine days of the explosion, all generated debris had been cleared.

"Quite a sight to see the progress this team has made since May 28. Wreckage recovery from start to finish was completed in 9 days, and all debris has been cleared from Launch Complex 36. Huge shoutout to the team who have been working 7x24. We have started reconstruction and [picture link]."
— Dave Limp (@davill) June 25, 2026

The fuel supply structures (methane, liquid oxygen, gaseous nitrogen, etc.) seem to have suffered relatively minor damage, as did the horizontal integration structure, the side support tower, and the water tower. Blue Origin has moved the first stage "Never Tell Me the Odds" and three second stages GS2 away from the horizontal integration structure. The support tower will be disassembled segment by segment, replacing damaged parts and restoring others.

"600+ feet of crane assembled incredibly fast by the team. We will start pulling down the tower (segment by segment) so we can modify each piece in parallel. [picture link]."
— Dave Limp (@davill) June 28, 2026

As previously announced, the company also intends to make some changes. Instead of focusing on horizontal integration, they will consider a hybrid horizontal/vertical integration, which would also be useful for the future New Glenn 9x4, the version with 9 BE-4 engines for the first stage and 4 BE-3U engines for the second stage that could be launched in the future from Launch Complex 36B.

"We're not rebuilding the same pad for New Glenn. We're moving to a horizontal/vertical hybrid configuration to get us flying again this year at 36A. We were already working on something similar for 9x4 at 36B. Let me explain what that means. We mate the stages horizontally in [picture link]."
— Dave Limp (@davill) June 30, 2026

In particular, the first and second stages of the rocket would be integrated horizontally, as they are now. These components would then be brought to the pad and rotated vertically using a large crane. The fairings with the payload would be placed afterward (using the same crane). The transporter-erector would also be replaced, concerning both the fuel supply and the electrical connections that would pass through the support tower. This choice should increase the overall launch cadence, especially considering the availability of two different pads.