The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing Blue Origin’s proposal to increase New Glenn launches at Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 36A from 12 to 50 per year. The proposed change covers launches, associated engine tests, offshore booster landings, payload-fairing recovery, and temporary airspace closures.
The FAA’s project page identifies the existing authorization as a maximum of 12 annual launches. The proposed 50-launch limit is the operating ceiling under review, rather than a flight schedule. The draft environmental assessment examines the additional activity before a decision on modifying the vehicle operator license.
New Glenn uses a reusable first stage designed to land on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The environmental review consequently covers more than activity on the launch pad: it also considers the operations required to test the rocket, recover hardware, and manage affected airspace.
The draft assessment models up to 50 first-stage static fires and 50 second-stage static fires annually. A static fire runs rocket engines for testing without launching the vehicle. Blue Origin does not anticipate performing these tests before every flight; the assessment uses the larger total to represent potential activity for environmental analysis.
Payload fairings protect spacecraft during ascent and separate when that protection is no longer needed. The draft describes a proposed recovery process using controlled descent, parachutes, and vessels that retrieve fairing sections offshore. Recovered sections would return for inspection and possible refurbishment.
For noise calculations, the assessment assumes half the launches and static fires occur between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. This is an analytical assumption, not a published nighttime launch schedule. Airspace planning considers temporary hazard areas and rerouting around launch operations.
The proceeding concerns operations at the existing site. New Space Economy’s coverage of New Glenn development also distinguishes this cadence review from approvals associated with proposed additional launch facilities.
The FAA has scheduled a virtual public meeting for October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern. Comments are requested by October 30 under docket FAA-2026-9841. Written submissions and oral comments will inform preparation of the final environmental assessment.
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