Starship vs. New Glenn: A Technical Comparison

Key Takeaways

• Both vehicles utilize methalox propulsion
• Starship pursues full system reusability
• New Glenn targets heavy commercial lift

Introduction to the Next Generation of Heavy Lift

The aerospace industry is currently witnessing a shift in launch vehicle architecture that rivals the transition from expendable rockets to the Space Shuttle in the 1980s. This shift is characterized by a move toward massive, reusable launch vehicles capable of delivering unprecedented payload masses to low Earth orbit and beyond. At the forefront of this evolution are two distinct vehicles developed by private aerospace companies: Starship , developed by SpaceX , and New Glenn , developed by Blue Origin .

These vehicles represent more than just incremental upgrades to existing rockets like the Falcon 9 or the Atlas V . They represent a fundamental rethinking of how humanity accesses space. The focus has moved from minimizing launch mass to maximizing reusability and operational cadence. Both systems rely on liquid methane and liquid oxygen as their propellants, a choice that diverges from the kerosene and hydrogen dominance of the previous half-century. While they share similarities in fuel choice and the overarching goal of reducing launch costs, their engineering philosophies, recovery strategies, and operational concepts differ significantly.

This article provides a detailed comparison of these two behemoths. It examines their physical specifications, propulsion systems, structural materials, recovery methods, and intended mission profiles. By understanding the technical nuances of each system, observers can gain insight into the differing visions of the future of spaceflight held by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos .

Architectural Philosophies and Design Goals

The divergence between Starship and New Glenn begins with the fundamental problem each vehicle is attempting to solve.

SpaceX has designed Starship with the singular obsession of making life multi-planetary. The architecture is predicated on full and rapid reusability. The intention is to create a general-purpose vehicle that can launch satellites, transport crew to the International Space Station , land on the Moon, and eventually settle Mars. This requirement for Mars colonization drives every major design decision, from the choice of stainless steel for the hull to the use of methane fuel, which can theoretically be synthesized on Mars using the Sabatier reaction. The iterative design process at SpaceX involves building, testing, flying, and often destroying prototypes to gather data quickly.

Blue Origin approaches New Glenn with a philosophy often summarized by their motto, “Gradatim Ferociter” or “Step by Step, Ferociously.” The design goal for New Glenn is to build a robust, highly reliable heavy-lift vehicle that serves the immediate needs of the commercial satellite market and NASA while building the infrastructure for millions of people to live and work in space. New Glenn is designed to be reusable, specifically the first stage, but the upper stage is initially expendable. The development process has been secretive and deliberate, with a focus on perfecting the hardware before it ever reaches the launch pad.

Structural Materials and Manufacturing

A stark contrast exists in the materials science applied to each rocket. SpaceX made a high-profile switch in 2018 from carbon fiber composites to 304L stainless steel for Starship . Stainless steel is heavier than carbon fiber or aluminum-lithium, but it offers distinct advantages for a vehicle entering an atmosphere at interplanetary speeds. It maintains strength at both cryogenic temperatures (when filled with propellant) and high temperatures (during reentry). This high melting point reduces the need for heavy ablative heat shielding on the leeward side of the ship. Furthermore, steel is inexpensive and easy to work with, allowing SpaceX to build prototypes in open-air tents rather than pristine clean rooms.

Blue Origin constructs New Glenn primarily using aluminum-lithium alloy. This material is the aerospace standard for high-performance rockets. It offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, allowing the vehicle to maximize payload capacity. The manufacturing takes place in a massive, climate-controlled facility at Kennedy Space Center . The use of aluminum-lithium suggests a more traditional aerospace approach, prioritizing structural efficiency over raw durability or ease of field repair. This choice aligns with a mission profile that does not initially require the upper stage to survive atmospheric reentry.

Propulsion Systems: The Move to Methalox

The most significant technical convergence between the two vehicles is the propulsion. Both use engines that burn liquid methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX). This mixture, known as methalox, offers a specific impulse (efficiency) higher than kerosene (RP-1) but lower than liquid hydrogen (LH2). However, methane is denser than hydrogen, allowing for smaller fuel tanks, and it burns cleaner than kerosene, which is vital for reusable engines. A clean-burning engine does not suffer from “coking” (soot buildup), which simplifies the refurbishment process between flights.

The Raptor Engine

SpaceX employs the Raptor engine. This is a full-flow staged combustion cycle engine. In this complex and highly efficient cycle, the turbopumps are driven by pre-burners that process all the fuel and all the oxidizer. This results in the turbines running at lower temperatures while the main combustion chamber operates at immense pressure. The Raptor is designed to produce roughly 280 tons of force (estimates vary as the engine evolves to version 3). The high chamber pressure allows the engine to be physically compact while delivering massive thrust. SpaceX clusters 33 of these engines on the Super Heavy booster, creating a wall of thrust at liftoff.

The BE-4 Engine

Blue Origin utilizes the BE-4 engine. This engine uses an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle. While slightly less complex than the full-flow cycle of the Raptor, it is still a massive leap forward in efficiency compared to open-cycle gas generator engines (like the Merlin on Falcon 9). The BE-4 is physically larger than the Raptor and produces approximately 245 tons of force. New Glenn uses seven BE-4 engines on its first stage. This engine is also the power plant for the Vulcan Centaur rocket developed by United Launch Alliance , making it a piece of hardware critical to multiple stakeholders in the US launch sector.

First Stage Comparison

The first stage, or booster, performs the heavy lifting required to get the stack out of the dense lower atmosphere.

Super Heavy

The SpaceX booster, named Super Heavy, acts as a dedicated initial impulse provider. It stands roughly 71 meters tall with a 9-meter diameter. The 33 Raptor engines provide approximately 7,590 tons of thrust at liftoff, making it the most powerful rocket stage ever built, surpassing the Saturn V and the Space Launch System . Super Heavy is designed to return to the launch site. Instead of landing on legs, it targets a catch by the “Mechazilla” tower arms. This eliminates the weight of landing gear, increasing the payload capacity. The grid fins on Super Heavy are electrically actuated and massive, providing control authority during the descent through the atmosphere.

New Glenn First Stage

The New Glenn first stage stands roughly 57 meters tall with a 7-meter diameter. The seven BE-4 engines generate about 1,700 tons of thrust. While less powerful than Super Heavy, it is still in the super-heavy lift class. The stage features large, hydraulically actuated aerodynamic strakes and fins that help glide the booster back to the recovery zone. Unlike Super Heavy, the New Glenn booster deploys landing legs and lands on a moving ship at sea. The recovery vessel, named Jacklyn (originally a converted ship, now a purpose-built barge), allows the rocket to land downrange. This trajectory is more efficient for high-velocity missions, as the booster does not need to reserve as much fuel to fly all the way back to the launch site.

Upper Stage Comparison

The upper stages highlight the difference in reuse philosophy.

Starship (The Ship)

The upper stage of the SpaceX system is also called Starship . It is 50 meters tall and fully reusable. It is equipped with three sea-level Raptor engines and three vacuum-optimized Raptor engines. The vacuum engines have much larger nozzles to maximize efficiency in the void of space. This ship serves as the payload fairing, the crew cabin, and the propulsion module all in one. It features ceramic hexagonal heat tiles on its “belly” to survive reentry heating. Upon return, it performs a unique “belly-flop” maneuver to bleed off speed before flipping vertical for a propulsive landing. SpaceX intends to catch the ship with the tower arms as well, eventually removing the need for legs.

New Glenn Second Stage

The New Glenn second stage is initially expendable. It uses two BE-3U engines. These engines run on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox). Hydrogen offers superior efficiency (ISP) for upper stages compared to methane, which benefits high-energy orbits. The stage has a 7-meter diameter, matching the booster, which allows for a massive payload fairing. Blue Origin has initiated a project called “Jarvis” to develop a reusable stainless steel upper stage for New Glenn in the future, suggesting a convergence toward the SpaceXarchitecture eventually, but the initial flights will discard the second stage in the ocean.

Payload Capabilities

Capacity to orbit is the primary metric for customers. Both vehicles are categorized as super heavy-lift launch vehicles.

Starship is designed to carry 100 to 150 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a fully reusable configuration. In an expendable configuration (which SpaceX is unlikely to use often), the capacity would theoretically be much higher. The large volume of the ship allows for massive structures, such as the next-generation Starlink satellites, to be deployed.

New Glenn is advertised to carry approximately 45 metric tons to LEO and 13 metric tons to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). While the mass numbers are lower than Starship , the 7-meter payload fairing offers nearly twice the volume of standard 5-meter fairings found on competitors. This volume is attractive for launching bulky national security payloads or habitats. The use of a hydrogen upper stage makes New Glenn particularly efficient for high-energy trajectories beyond Earth orbit.

Launch and Ground Infrastructure

The ground systems required to support these vehicles are as complex as the rockets themselves.

Starbase and Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX operates its primary R&D and launch facility for Starship at “Starbase” in Boca Chica, Texas. This site contains a tank farm, a production factory, and the launch tower. The tower, colloquially called “Mechazilla,” stands 146 meters tall and features “chopstick” arms to stack the rocket and catch returning boosters. SpaceX is also constructing a Starship launch tower at Kennedy Space Center at Launch Complex 39A. The centralization of manufacturing and launch at Starbase allows for rapid transit of the vehicle from the hangar to the pad.

Launch Complex 36

Blue Origin leases Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station . They have invested heavily in rebuilding this historic site. The complex includes a dedicated integration facility where the rocket is assembled vertically – a contrast to the horizontal integration used by many other providers (though SpaceX also stacks Starship vertically). The “journey to the pad” for New Glenn is short, as the factory is located just outside the gates of the spaceport at Exploration Park. This proximity reduces the logistical headaches of transporting massive rocket stages across the country.

The Role of NASA and the Artemis Program

Both vehicles play integral roles in the Artemis program , the NASA initiative to return humans to the Moon.

SpaceX won the initial contract for the Human Landing System (HLS). A specialized version of Starship will serve as the lunar lander, ferrying astronauts from the Gateway station in lunar orbit down to the surface and back. This mission profile requires Starship to perform on-orbit refueling. Multiple “tanker” Starships will launch to fill the lunar lander’s tanks in Earth orbit before it departs for the Moon. This architectural requirement adds complexity but enables the delivery of massive payloads to the lunar surface.

Blue Origin was selected as the second provider for the lunar lander services, leading a “National Team” that includes Lockheed Martin , Boeing , and Draper . Their lander, Blue Moon, will launch on New Glenn (or potentially other heavy lift vehicles). New Glenn is also contracted to launch elements of the Gateway station itself. The existence of two independent heavy-lift providers gives NASA redundancy, ensuring that a delay or failure in one program does not completely stall lunar exploration.

Market Positioning and Economics

The economic implications of these vehicles are significant for the satellite industry.

Starship promises to lower the cost to orbit to levels previously considered impossible. Elon Musk has suggested launch costs could eventually drop to a few million dollars per flight. If achieved, this would democratize access to space, enabling new industries such as orbital manufacturing and large-scale space tourism. However, the high cadence requires a market that can absorb that much capacity. SpaceX creates its own demand by launching thousands of Starlink satellites.

New Glenn enters the market as a competitor to existing heavy-lift options but with the added benefit of reusability. Blue Origin has secured contracts for deploying Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation, a direct competitor to Starlink. This internal customer guarantees a baseline flight rate for New Glenn . Furthermore, Blue Origin positions New Glenn as a premium service for national security payloads and heavy science missions, leveraging the precision and reliability of its design.

Environmental Considerations

The shift to methane is also an environmental decision. While rocket launches currently represent a negligible fraction of global emissions, a future with daily launches would change that calculus. Methane burns cleaner than the kerosene used in the Falcon 9 or the Soyuz, producing less black carbon (soot) in the upper atmosphere. However, methane is a potent greenhouse gas if leaked. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin must manage their ground operations to minimize venting of unburned methane.

The sheer size of these vehicles also creates noise pollution. The acoustic energy generated by 33 Raptor engines or 7 BE-4 engines is immense. Launch sites are surrounded by exclusion zones, but the frequency of Starship launches proposed by SpaceX has raised concerns among local residents and environmental groups regarding the impact on local wildlife and community peace.

Development Timelines and Status

As of today, the two programs are at different stages of maturity.

SpaceX has conducted multiple integrated flight tests of the full Starship stack. These tests have demonstrated the ability to fly the booster and ship, separate the stages, and control the vehicle through the atmosphere. The program is currently in a high-cadence testing phase, refining the heat shield, the engine reliability, and the catch mechanism.

New Glenn is fully operational. Moreover, the BE-4 engines have been qualified and have successfully flown on the Vulcan Centaur .

Summary

The comparison between Starship and New Glenn reveals two distinct paths toward a common destination: a future where space is accessible, affordable, and routinely utilized. SpaceX pushes the boundaries of physics and materials science with a rapidly iterative, high-risk, high-reward strategy centered on full reusability and colonization. Blue Origin pursues a methodical, infrastructure-focused strategy, prioritizing reliability and high-performance hydrogen upper stages to serve the immediate heavy-lift market. Both vehicles are feats of modern engineering that will likely dominate the global launch market for decades to come. As these titans of the troposphere come online, the bottlenecks of mass and volume that have constrained space exploration since its inception will finally be broken.

Appendix: Top 10 Questions Answered in This Article

What are the primary fuels used by Starship and New Glenn?

Both launch vehicles utilize a propellant mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen, known as methalox, for their main engines. This choice offers a balance of efficiency and density, and it burns cleanly, which facilitates engine reuse.

How do the recovery strategies for the first stages differ?

The SpaceX Super Heavy booster is designed to return to the launch site and be caught in mid-air by the “chopstick” arms of the launch tower. The Blue Origin New Glenn booster lands downrange on a floating platform at sea using deployable landing legs.

Is the New Glenn rocket fully reusable?

No, the initial version of New Glenn is only partially reusable. The first stage is designed to land and fly again, but the second stage is expendable and will not be recovered, though Blue Origin is researching reusable upper stages for the future.

What is the payload capacity difference between the two vehicles?

Starship is designed to lift between 100 and 150 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit in a fully reusable configuration. New Glenn is capable of lifting approximately 45 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit, with a focus on large-volume payloads.

Which rocket produces more thrust at liftoff?

SpaceX’s Starship system produces significantly more thrust. The Super Heavy booster generates approximately 7,590 tons of force using 33 engines, compared to New Glenn’s 1,700 tons of force from 7 engines.

What materials are used to build the hull of each rocket?

Starship is constructed primarily from 304L stainless steel, chosen for its durability and high melting point. New Glenn is built using an aluminum-lithium alloy, a traditional aerospace material known for being lightweight and strong.

How does SpaceX plan to land the Starship upper stage?

The Starship upper stage performs a “belly-flop” maneuver to decelerate through the atmosphere using its large body for drag. It then flips to a vertical orientation just before reaching the ground for a propulsive landing.

What is the role of these rockets in the Artemis program?

Both rockets are integral to NASA’s lunar exploration plans. Starship has been selected as the first Human Landing System to carry astronauts to the lunar surface, while New Glenn is slated to launch the Blue Moon lander and elements of the Gateway station.

Where do these rockets launch from?

Starship launches from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, and eventually from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New Glenn launches from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Why is methane considered better than kerosene for these rockets?

Methane burns cleaner than kerosene, preventing soot buildup in the engines, which is vital for rapid reuse. It can also be produced on Mars, supporting SpaceX’s long-term colonization goals.

Appendix: Top 10 Frequently Searched Questions Answered in This Article

What is the difference between Starship and New Glenn?

Starship is a fully reusable, stainless steel super-heavy rocket designed for Mars colonization with higher payload capacity. New Glenn is a partially reusable, aluminum-lithium heavy rocket designed for commercial satellites and lunar missions with a large payload fairing.

How much does a Starship launch cost compared to New Glenn?

While specific pricing fluctuates, SpaceX targets a launch cost of under $10 million per flight eventually due to full reusability. New Glenn’s pricing is not public but is expected to be competitive with other heavy lift providers like ULA, likely in the tens of millions.

When did New Glenn fly for the first time?

New Glenn first flew in 2025 and is now fully operational.

How tall is Starship compared to the Statue of Liberty?

The full Starship stack stands about 121 meters (almost 400 feet) tall. This makes it significantly taller than the Statue of Liberty, which is 93 meters including the pedestal.

Can New Glenn land on a drone ship?

Yes, New Glenn is designed to land on a floating vessel. Blue Origin uses a massive platform named Jacklyn to recover the first stage downrange in the ocean.

Why does Starship use stainless steel?

Stainless steel is used because it is cheap, easy to manufacture, and retains strength at both cryogenic temperatures and the high heat of reentry. This reduces the need for heavy heat shielding compared to carbon fiber or aluminum.

Does Blue Origin use SpaceX engines?

No, Blue Origin designs and manufactures its own engines. They use the BE-4 engine for the New Glenn booster, which is also sold to United Launch Alliance for the Vulcan rocket.

What is the biggest rocket ever built?

SpaceX’s Starship is currently the largest and most powerful rocket ever built in history. It surpasses the Saturn V (moon rocket) in both height and thrust.

How many engines does Starship have?

The Starship system has a total of 39 engines. The Super Heavy booster has 33 Raptor engines, and the upper stage Ship has 6 Raptor engines (3 sea-level and 3 vacuum).

Is New Glenn bigger than the Saturn V?

No, New Glenn is slightly shorter than the Saturn V. New Glenn is approximately 98 meters tall, whereas the Saturn V was 111 meters tall, though New Glenn has a larger fairing diameter than the Saturn V’s third stage.