Blue Origin Selected to Develop New Glenn Launch Site at Vandenberg Space Force Base
Summary: On April 15, 2026, the U.S. Space Force announced that Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, has been down-selected as a potential partner to develop a new launch facility for its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This move would significantly expand Blue Origin's launch flexibility and strengthen West Coast national security space launch capabilities.
Credit: NASA
Details
The U.S. Space Force stated that Blue Origin was down-selected to potentially develop a new launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base for the New Glenn rocket. Currently, Blue Origin's primary launch facility is at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A Vandenberg pad would provide the company with a West Coast option for polar and sun-synchronous orbit missions.
New Glenn is a two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Blue Origin, featuring a 7-meter-diameter first stage, standing approximately 98 meters tall, with a payload capacity exceeding 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit. The rocket completed its maiden flight (NG-1) in 2025 and successfully launched the ESCAPADE Mars probes (NG-2) in November 2025.
Background and Significance
Strategic Value of Vandenberg
Vandenberg Space Force Base, located on California's central coast, is the sole military space launch facility on the U.S. West Coast. Rockets launched from Vandenberg can fly southward to deliver payloads into polar or sun-synchronous orbits without overflying populated areas — making it an ideal launch site for Earth observation satellites and certain national security payloads.
Current launch operators at Vandenberg include SpaceX (Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy) and United Launch Alliance (Delta IV Heavy, now retired). Blue Origin's addition would further diversify the base's launch portfolio.
Impact on National Security Space Launch
The U.S. Space Force is continuing to advance its National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 program, which aims to ensure at least two launch service providers can execute critical national security payload missions. Blue Origin already holds an NSSL Phase 2 Lane 2 contract, and the development of Vandenberg launch capabilities would strengthen the company's competitive position for NSSL Phase 3.