Blue Origin unveils Northstar engine, more powerful and at a quarter of the BE-4's cost

TechnologyInternationalArs TechnicaNov 5, 2026, 7:17 PMAI summary

Blue Origin announced two upgrades to its New Glenn rocket: a new Northstar engine, which will replace the BE-4 on the first stage, and a hydrogen-oxygen third stage called GS3. According to the company, Northstar has half the parts, 30% less mass and about 65% can be 3D-printed, with a manufacturing cost of 25% of the BE-4. The company has already begun test firings and aims to launch New Glenn more than 1,000 times a year.

In 45 seconds

Northstar will have a starting thrust of 715,000 pounds versus the BE-4's 640,000, with half the parts and 30% less mass
Blue Origin estimates it can build Northstar at 25% of the cost of a BE-4 and assemble each engine in less than a day
The GS3 third stage, made of composites and powered by the BE-7 engine, will enable direct injection to geostationary orbit and Earth-escape trajectories

Read the full story at Ars Technica

IASummary generated by artificial intelligence from a story by Ars Technica. It may contain errors: the original source prevails.

Blue Origin
New Glenn
motores cohete
espacio
Northstar

Comments

Be respectful. Comments reported by several people are hidden until a moderator reviews them.

You do not need an account to read, only to comment. Sign in with a code sent to your email or with your Google account. We only show the name you choose, never your email.

Keep reading

Bill Gates questions corporate incentives to replace people with AI and proposes a tax
In an interview with The Observer, Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence will bring a profound transformation of work and criticized companies' incentives to automate. "The incentive structure in business is wrong: it's 'hire the robot, fire the human and don't look back'," he said. The Microsoft co-founder proposed a "symbolic" tax on AI use to fund the social safety net, and argued that billionaires should pay more taxes.
TechnologyInternationalRevista Semana9:30 PMAI
Spanish Constitutional Court justice: "A big round of applause for artificial intelligence would be excessive"
Justice Juan Carlos Campo of Spain's Constitutional Court took part in the summit marking 30 years of the Corporación Excelencia en la Justicia (CEJ) and warned that artificial intelligence "is not a tool" but "a power structure." He called for a middle ground between technophobia and techno-solutionism, with non-negotiable principles to preserve fundamental rights, and argued that AI cannot replace the judiciary because of its deliberative nature.
TechnologyColombiaEl Tiempo7:28 PMAI
Google clarifies AI policy for schools: Gemini can be disabled, but search always includes AI
Google clarified its new AI policy for K–12 schools after criticism from educators and parents. Schools will be able to disable Gemini apps while keeping search active, or turn off all AI features, including search, on student accounts. However, there will be no AI-free search: those who enable it must choose between standard features or the Guided Learning version. Google says it has not changed the policy announced this week.
TechnologyInternationalArs Technica4:40 PMAI
OpenAI faces Democratic pressure over its AI data center expansion
OpenAI unveiled new policies on data centers amid concerns over energy costs and the impact on local communities, as Democrats push to curb the expansion of AI infrastructure. The company pledged to cover the energy and water costs of its data centers, stop using non-disclosure agreements with public officials in negotiations over new sites, and inform residents about construction plans and possible traffic, noise and lighting disruptions. Meta said it made a similar commitment in March.
TechnologyInternationalFox News4:11 PMAI

Blue Origin unveils Northstar engine, more powerful and at a quarter of the BE-4's cost

In 45 seconds

Comments

Keep reading

Bill Gates questions corporate incentives to replace people with AI and proposes a tax

Spanish Constitutional Court justice: "A big round of applause for artificial intelligence would be excessive"

Google clarifies AI policy for schools: Gemini can be disabled, but search always includes AI

OpenAI faces Democratic pressure over its AI data center expansion