Blue Origin to Add Second Launch Pad at Cape Canaveral for New Glenn 9x4

Blue Origin said it will expand Launch Complex-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station by adding a second launch pad and related facilities to support the upcoming New Glenn 9x4 vehicle. The expansion follows repairs to the existing pad (LC-36A) after a static-fire test of a New Glenn 7x2 rocket exploded in May, causing extensive damage to the site.

The company plans to construct a Vertical Integration Facility and a Payload Processing Facility nearby, and to build a 700-foot-tall launch tower using up to 2,500 tons of steel. Blue Origin expects the repaired LC-36A to be ready for a New Glenn 7x2 launch by the end of the year, but it did not give a timeline for the new pad or the debut of the 9x4 configuration.

The 9x4 variant, still under development, will feature nine BE-4 engines on its first stage and four BE-3U engines on the second stage, allowing it to carry heavier payloads than the current 7x2 model, which uses seven BE-4 and two BE-3U engines.

LC-36 historically supported Atlas-Centaur and Atlas rockets from the 1960s until the mid-2000s. Blue Origin leased the site in 2015, began construction in 2016, and launched its first New Glenn 7x2 in 2025. After the May incident, CEO Dave Limp said the company is confident the rocket will fly again before the end of 2026 and noted that the repairs will include replacing the transporter-erector with an alternative vertical concept.

"LC-36 has served as a cornerstone of American spaceflight for decades, supporting a broad range of missions for NASA and commercial partners," the company said in a statement. "Now, this historic site is entering a new era, furthering New Glenn operations."