NASA has reaffirmed that Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket remains central to its primary strategy for returning humans to the Moon, despite a significant setback earlier this year. The space agency is continuing to count on the rocket, developed by Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company, as a critical component of its broader lunar exploration goals.

In May, the New Glenn launch pad experienced a major explosion, causing damage that initially raised questions about the timeline for the rocket’s return to flight. Since then, Blue Origin announced it would not repair the damaged launch pad but instead switch to a different launch setup aimed at resuming flights later this year.

Jared Isaacman, NASA’s program manager overseeing lunar initiatives, commended the progress made by Blue Origin since the incident. He described the company’s response as "almost beyond impressive" and emphasized that while NASA maintains contingency plans, New Glenn remains its preferred choice for launching missions tied to the planned Moon base. “It would be almost irresponsible with the importance of the Moon base... not to have plan Bs,” Isaacman said, though he stressed that “plan A was always New Glenn” and noted recent advancements had improved the outlook for the rocket.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle designed to support a range of missions, including crewed lunar landings and infrastructure deployment for a sustained presence on the Moon. The rocket’s capabilities are seen as integral to NASA’s Artemis program and subsequent efforts to establish a lunar base as part of a long-term human exploration strategy.

With the revised launch approach, Blue Origin aims to return the New Glenn to flight readiness by the end of 2026. Isaacman indicated he would begin to reassess confidence in the timeline around mid-2027 if further delays occur but expressed optimism about the company’s current trajectory.

NASA continues to advance multiple pathways to lunar exploration, reflecting the complexity and importance of the mission. While Blue Origin and New Glenn hold a pivotal role in this plan, the agency is also preparing alternative options to ensure progress toward human settlement on the Moon is maintained.