Theresa Cross
August 19th, 2022
Blue Origin’s New Glenn transporter erector was raised to the vertical position for the first time on Aug. 19, 2022. Credit: Theresa Cross / Spaceflight Insider
For the first time since arriving at Cape Canaveral, Florida, last year, Blue Origin’s transporter erector, which will be used for the company’s massive New Glenn rocket, was raised to the vertical position at Launch Complex 36.
On Friday, Aug. 19, Blue Origin raised the transporter erector for its first integration test with the pad and ground software in the coming week. The company’s testing of the structure may take several days to exercise all fits and checks.
The transporter erector will be used to move the New Glenn Rocket from its hangar at the launch site to the launch pad. Additionally, it’ll be used to lift the rocket into the vertical position for launch. It’ll also have equipment for fueling, etc.
New Glenn is Blue Origin’s next rocket after the company’s much smaller, sub-orbital New Shepard, that sends people to the edge of space in West Texas.
An artist’s rendering of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during its ascent into orbit. Image Credit: Blue Origin
The new two-stage rocket is going to be much larger. It’ll stand some 321 feet (93 meters), which is about as tall as NASA’s SLS rocket. It will be 23 feet (7 meters) wide.
Its first stage is expected to be reusable. It’ll have seven BE-4 engines at its base, which consume liquid oxygen and liquid methane. That same engine design is also being used for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket as early as late this year.
New Glenn’s first launch is expected sometime in 2023. It’ll be able to lift up to 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit and 13 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit, according to Blue Origin.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn transporter erector was raised to the vertical position for the first time on Aug. 19, 2022. Credit: Theresa Cross / Spaceflight Insider
Theresa Cross
Theresa Cross grew up on the Space Coast. It’s only natural that she would develop a passion for anything “Space” and its exploration. During these formative years, she also discovered that she possessed a talent and love for defining the unique quirks and intricacies that exist in mankind, nature, and machines.
Hailing from a family of photographers—including her father and her son, Theresa herself started documenting her world through pictures at a very early age. As an adult, she now exhibits an innate photographic ability to combine what appeals to her heart and her love of technology to deliver a diversified approach to her work and artistic presentations.
Theresa has a background in water chemistry, fluid dynamics, and industrial utility.
