FAA Weighs Blue Origin's Bid to Fly New Glenn Up to 50 Times a Year
A draft environmental assessment would raise the cap at Cape Canaveral's SLC-36 from 12 launches annually.
The Space Coast could see far busier skies. On September 29, the Federal Aviation Administration released a draft environmental assessment on Blue Origin's request to raise the number of New Glenn launches licensed at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 36 from 12 to as many as 50 a year.
The draft also covers related static-fire tests, booster landings on an ocean platform and fairing recovery.
What comes next
A virtual public meeting is scheduled for October 22, and the FAA is accepting comments through October 30. The request follows a May 28 explosion during a pre-flight static test that damaged the pad; Blue Origin aims to resume launches by the end of the year. The company has said it expects to fly more than 50 times annually by 2030, a cadence that would make the Space Coast an even larger driver of Florida's aerospace economy.
Sources: FAA; Spaceflight Now; AIAA; Florida Today.
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