Blue Origin's Quest to Reuse New Glenn's Second Stage Reignites Debate
The economics of launching a rocket into space is a complex and ever-evolving field. For Blue Origin, the stakes are high as the company grapples with whether to reuse its second stage or cut costs through manufacturing alone.
At least 15 years ago, the debate began during the early design stages of the New Glenn rocket. The first stage would be fully reusable, but what about the upper stage? Engineers at Blue Origin have been debating this question ever since. They've traded options on reusing the second stage's GS2 in recent years.
In 2025, both Jeff Bezos and Dave Limp said they were continuing to weigh their options on New Glenn's upper stage during an interview with Ars. However, a new job posting for a director of "Reusable Upper Stage Development" suggests that the debate may be shifting back towards reusing GS2.
The company is facing significant costs associated with its current manufacturing process. Sources indicate that it takes over $100 million to manufacture the first stage and more than $50 million for the upper stage, making each launch extremely expensive. To build a sustainable business, Blue Origin needs to find ways to reduce these costs.
One potential solution is reusing the second stage. However, this approach comes with its own set of challenges. Reusable upper stages are still an unknown quantity, and there's currently limited understanding of thermal protection for vehicles returning from orbital velocities. This means that propellant and landing gear mass will likely be affected, impacting performance.
The company has the capacity to build a dozen second stages per year, but rate manufacturing and simpler designs could help reduce costs. The planned 9×4 version of New Glenn, with four BE-3U engines, is expected to increase upper stage costs even further.
In light of these challenges, Blue Origin's decision on whether to reuse GS2 will be crucial in determining the company's long-term success. With a new director tasked with developing reusable upper stages, the pressure is on for the team to crack this problem and unlock significant cost savings for the company.
The economics of launching a rocket into space is a complex and ever-evolving field. For Blue Origin, the stakes are high as the company grapples with whether to reuse its second stage or cut costs through manufacturing alone.
At least 15 years ago, the debate began during the early design stages of the New Glenn rocket. The first stage would be fully reusable, but what about the upper stage? Engineers at Blue Origin have been debating this question ever since. They've traded options on reusing the second stage's GS2 in recent years.
In 2025, both Jeff Bezos and Dave Limp said they were continuing to weigh their options on New Glenn's upper stage during an interview with Ars. However, a new job posting for a director of "Reusable Upper Stage Development" suggests that the debate may be shifting back towards reusing GS2.
The company is facing significant costs associated with its current manufacturing process. Sources indicate that it takes over $100 million to manufacture the first stage and more than $50 million for the upper stage, making each launch extremely expensive. To build a sustainable business, Blue Origin needs to find ways to reduce these costs.
One potential solution is reusing the second stage. However, this approach comes with its own set of challenges. Reusable upper stages are still an unknown quantity, and there's currently limited understanding of thermal protection for vehicles returning from orbital velocities. This means that propellant and landing gear mass will likely be affected, impacting performance.
The company has the capacity to build a dozen second stages per year, but rate manufacturing and simpler designs could help reduce costs. The planned 9×4 version of New Glenn, with four BE-3U engines, is expected to increase upper stage costs even further.
In light of these challenges, Blue Origin's decision on whether to reuse GS2 will be crucial in determining the company's long-term success. With a new director tasked with developing reusable upper stages, the pressure is on for the team to crack this problem and unlock significant cost savings for the company.
you know what's weird about Blue Origin? they're always trying to solve one problem and then another pops up 
. like, remember when they were all about reusable first stages? now it seems like they're backtracking on that too 
. what's going on here? are they just not sure which way to go or is there something else at play? 
I mean, $100 million and up for an upper stage? that's a lot of cash 
. but what about all those costs they're saving on first stages? is it just not worth it in the end? 
I'm watching this space (no pun intended) and I gotta say, I'm intrigued 
. They need to find a way to reduce those costs or risk getting crushed by SpaceX and Starlink 
. If reusing GS2 is the answer, it's gonna be a huge win for Bezos and co. 
But, gotta keep in mind that this tech is still super experimental, so fingers crossed they figure it out soon 
.
. I mean, have they even tested a reusable upper stage in space yet? 
. They're pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible with rockets 
. It'd be a game-changer for the space industry 
for next month!! I've always wanted to visit the Ghibli Museum 
anyway back to space stuff... Blue Origin is like, trying to figure out if they should reuse their rocket parts or not. it's kinda like when you're getting ready for school and you have to decide whether to wear last week's shirt or your fresh new one 
but seriously, I don't know much about rockets so can someone explain this reusable thing to me? 
But I think this whole reusable thing has the potential to be game-changing for everyone involved 
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". whatever they decide, i'm sure it'll be super cool to watch them figure it out 
. Those thermal protection issues are real concerns, and I'm not sure how much they'll be able to crack the code on time 
!
. They've got the resources and expertise to make it happen, but it's gonna take some serious brainpower and innovation. If they can pull it off, though... imagine the possibilities!
trying to figure out how to save some cash by reusing their second stage, but it's like they're not learning from other companies' mistakes... I mean, we all know reusable rockets are still super complex and there's no easy fix for thermal protection, propellant mass, etc. 
like who needs a rocket that's actually affordable? $150 million per launch is still way cheaper than whatever other space companies are paying... but i guess it's better late than never 
they should just get on board with reusing the second stage already, it can't be that hard right? 
can't wait to see what other innovative solutions they come up with 
