Can Blue Origin Keep Up With The BE-4 Engine Demand?

For years now Blue Origin has been developing, manufacturing, and testing the BE-4 engine. While there have been some significant delays over time, they are starting to deliver engines and prepare for a busy future. With Vulcan’s launch cadence expected to increase drastically after the first launch and New Glenn getting closer to testing, the demand for these engines will follow suit.

Just days ago Blue Origin released a rare sneak peek inside one of the company’s factories which reveals work on over a dozen engines. This being said, it brings up the question of how will these engines perform on Vulcan’s first launch and can the company keep up with the future needs of ULA and Blue Origin.

While each Vulcan rocket only needs two engines, it’s not reusable so every rocket will require more. As for New Glenn, just a single launch vehicle requires 7. All of which combine to create an engine program that needs to go from 0 to 100 in terms of production to keep up. Here I will go more in-depth into Blue Origin’s BE-4 production, the substantial demand right around the corner, what to expect in the coming months, and more.

Credit:

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:56 - BE-4 Production
3:27 - A Busy Future

[tarunantony]

As I have said before, I really appreciate the constant content and whenever you feel like it, take a break. You really deserve it.

[akirashima]

These ULA and BO announcements were missed as people were tuned to Starship launch!!

[Fireblot]

Blue Origen has accomplished a lot in developing the BE 4 engine. It’s good for the industry to have multiple players and a dynamic competitive market place. They are facing some serious headwinds going up against SpaceX.

[AudiOoOoable]

Incredible videos! You should look into doing a video on China’s pivot to a reusable Long March 9 heavy lift rocket. They recently built a manufacturing test article 10.6m LOX tank.

[RogerM]

Blue Origin strategy mistake, was jumping from Blue Shepard to New Glenn in size, without a middle size rocket, that would allow the Team to get more data and expertise with Orbital flights.

[mrbaab]

Can you do an update on North Korea's famous Nodong rocket?

[RevMikeBlack]

It's expensive. It's expendable. It's untested in flight. It's slow in production. It's way behind schedule. It's overcommitted on a flight schedule it can't possibly meet. Is there an upside to BE-4?

[setituptoblowitup]

Well being that ula hasn't launched a single rocket this year 2023 and it's almost May seems like they have shot to keep up🐌

[jeffreypelaske]

48 engines a year just for ULA plus BO will probably not recover the new glenn first stage on the beginning launches. BO good luck in production hell.

[MrEd]

Blue Origin and ULA have a lot to prove. Not being open as SpaceX is does not help their credibility.

[cowboybob]

5:10 - Why can't LNG be used to pressurize RP1 tanks? It's probably cheaper than helium, it's another hydrocarbon not an oxidizer.

[tech]

…that’s that cowboy guy’s company, right?

[IanMott]

I bet blue origin never makes 1000 engines that go to space!

[sandbridgekid]

Blue Origin will have a paid payload in LEO long before a SpaceX Starship will be in orbit with anything beyond a test article. BOrg has flame trenches and water deluge systems under their testing stands and on its launch pad. The First New Glenn test launch won't be a iteration but a full duration orbital mission. It won't destroy its launch pad or facilities and it certainly won't be LT'd well below its mission profile for time and altitude. And it will be nearly man-rated before anything leaves the ground. Musk is Apple, New Glenn is GM, Google, Toyota and Microsoft, with the best of Boeing, LM, NG, combined. It'll work from the start.

[sissyspaceship]

Blue origin confuses me. They talk trash but have nothing to backup claims. They trying to sprint before crawling. If they make it work with minimal errors ill be impressed but with the loss of talent in the past few years I wouldn't be surprised if they have heavy losses of flight hardware.

[georgedoolittle]

Very fortunate for the rest of the Industry SpaceX failed in the manner it failed as this will put some serious impetus for all of those now having to wait @SpaceX for rebuild of entire launch complex to now be able to work for what is quite suddenly a very diverse and economically booming *"Launch Industry"* for the USA.

Until this past week none of this seemed even remotely believable to me as possible for anything but #NASA which currently has a modestly reusable already validated *MOON ROCKET* so who wouldn't want to work for that? Everyone else is still simply trying to compete with single stick Falcon 9 and still no one except possibly China now. In the meantime hopefully Falcon Heavy is much improved given the failure of Starship though seemingly nothing fatal for the suddenly booming Heavy Launch Industry for the entire USA. What a remarkable time to see all of this in fact now happening as seemingly nothing has been going on forever now.

[scottweidt]

I'm sorry but I still think it was foolish for ULA to hitch its wagon to blue origin!

[NJTDover]

Nobody gives a damn about BO ... only youtubers seeking for likes and subscribers. It's true.