Blue Origin revealed plans on August 12 to add a second launch pad to Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, as part of a project that will not only rebuild the existing site but also expand it. The new pad will be named LC-36B and is designed to accommodate the upgraded and larger version of the New Glenn rocket, known as New Glenn 9×4.
The company did not specify a schedule for building the new pad. The planned work includes construction of the launch pad itself, a vertical integration facility for the rocket, and a payload processing facility. In October 2025, the Space Force awarded Blue Origin a $78.2 million contract to build a payload processing facility.
Rebuilding the Existing Pad
Blue Origin had planned to build a second pad at Launch Complex 36 before a New Glenn rocket exploded on May 28 during a static-fire test on the existing pad. The explosion caused extensive damage to the pad, which the company is currently rebuilding.
The rebuilt pad will be named LC-36A and will be dedicated to the current version of New Glenn, known as New Glenn 7×2. The name indicates that the rocket uses seven BE-4 engines in its first stage and two BE-3U engines in its upper stage. New Glenn 9×4 will use nine BE-4 engines in its first stage and four BE-3U engines in its upper stage.
Blue Origin announced plans to develop New Glenn 9×4 in November 2025, but it has not disclosed when it will begin flying. It also did not provide a schedule for beginning operations of the larger rocket in its announcement about the new pad.
Priority: Returning to Flight
Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s chief executive, said in a social media post dated August 12 that rebuilding LC-36A and returning to flight this year remain the company’s priority. The rebuilding is linked to a change in the way the pad will operate, which Limp previously described as a “hybrid horizontal/vertical” operations concept.
Under this approach, the fully assembled rocket will not be transported to the pad in a horizontal position as previously planned. Instead, the first stage will be transported horizontally and then raised to a vertical position on the pad, while the upper stage and payload will be transported separately in a vertical position before being installed atop the booster using a crane.
Vertical Integration Tests
Limp said on August 13 that the company is testing these operations at another facility within Cape Canaveral, LC-11. Blue Origin is using cranes to install a mock-up of New Glenn’s upper stage and a payload fairing above a forward dome representing the top of the first stage.
During tests conducted that week, the team performed lifting and vertical installation operations and collected data on mitigating the effects of wind and their impacts. It also tested new mechanisms for guiding these structures and moving them into position. Limp said the speed with which the test was prepared was a factor helping the company reach the next flight as soon as possible.