{"id":18404,"date":"2018-08-10T19:20:31","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T11:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/blue-origin-shows-off-be-3u-upper-stage-rocket-engine-as-its-many-efforts-ramp-up\/"},"modified":"2018-08-10T19:20:31","modified_gmt":"2018-08-10T11:20:31","slug":"blue-origin-shows-off-be-3u-upper-stage-rocket-engine-as-its-many-efforts-ramp-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/blue-origin-shows-off-be-3u-upper-stage-rocket-engine-as-its-many-efforts-ramp-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Origin shows off BE-3U upper-stage rocket engine as its many efforts ramp up"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"BE-3U
Blue Origin\u2019s BE-3U upper-stage rocket engine undergoes testing. (Blue Origin via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is sharing a short video clip featuring the lesser-known rocket engine for its orbital-class New Glenn rocket.<\/p>\n

The spotlight on the hydrogen-fueled BE-3U engine comes amid reports that Blue Origin is rapidly ramping up its New Glenn development program \u2014 and amid questions over whether Blue Origin can start launching New Glenn by the end of 2020, as originally planned.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also lots of activity relating to other aspects of Bezos\u2019 aspirations.<\/p>\n

This week, NASA awarded $13 million to Blue Origin to boost development of tipping-point technologies related to the company\u2019s Blue Moon lunar lander program. And Blue Origin could reap $1 million more thanks to a different NASA award for a study relating to commercialization of human spaceflight in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

Even though Blue Origin has launched rockets only on suborbital space missions, the Kent, Wash.-based company has its sights set on a wide range of spaceflight technologies. One of its more than 250 online job listings is putting out the call for a deep-space systems architect:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAs part of a small, passionate, and accomplished advanced development team, you will be an architect of deep space systems such as propulsion elements, propellant depots, spacecraft, landers, habitats, and various surface systems that support both human and robotic missions. You will help lead small and multi-disciplinary teams to align these system architectures with company strategies, products, and technology maturation plans. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The job listing fits with Bezos\u2019 long-term vision of having millions of people living and working in space, with Blue Origin doing \u201canything we need to do\u201d to establish habitats in space, on the moon and beyond.<\/p>\n

Blue Origin is also looking for a principal technologist for human spaceflight.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s workforce already has passed the 1,500-employee mark, and last week, Reuters quoted an unnamed source as saying Blue Origin is aiming to double that figure over the next two or three years. (Blue Origin doesn\u2019t comment publicly about its future employment plans.)<\/p>\n

The main priorities include getting New Glenn off the ground, which will require the completion of development and testing of the vacuum-rated, 150,000-pound-thrust BE-3U engine as well as the more powerful BE-4 first-stage engine, which is fueled with liquefied natural gas and should provide 550,000 pounds of liftoff thrust.<\/p>\n

At last report, the BE-4 development effort was hitting its marks with engine qualification due by the end of the year. And in today\u2019s posting to Twitter and Instagram, Blue Origin said the BE-3U has \u201ccompleted over 700 seconds of test time\u201d:<\/p>\n