NASA Adds Blue Origin's New Glenn 9×4 to Launch Services Contract

NASA has added Blue Origin's New Glenn 9×4 launch vehicle to its Launch Services (NLS) II contract, the agency announced.

The addition was made in accordance with a contract on-ramp clause, a provision that allows new launch vehicles to be incorporated into the existing multiple-award contract framework as they become available and meet NASA's requirements.

With the New Glenn 9×4 now included, NASA's Launch Services Program Office will be able to select the vehicle for future agency missions, giving the program an additional option among the providers available under the NLS II umbrella.

The NLS II contracts are structured as multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity agreements, a format that allows NASA to draw on a roster of qualified launch providers over an extended period rather than negotiating a separate contract for each individual mission.

Blue Origin's New Glenn family of rockets has been under development as the company's heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, positioning it as a competitor within the broader US commercial launch market that also includes providers such as SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.

NASA did not immediately specify which upcoming missions might be assigned to the New Glenn 9×4 configuration.