# Blue Origin announces GS3 third stage for New Glenn and Northstar methalox engine

- Published: 2026-11-06 00:26 UTC
- Section: Sky & Space › Space
- Tags: Blue Origin, New Glenn third stage, GS3 stage, Northstar engine, BE-7 engine, BE-4 thrust, methalox engine, cislunar launch 2028, geostationary orbit, Blue Moon
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-7a7a33ecbf3cd036921b8520_blue_origin_announces/

**Blue Origin said GS3 with one BE-7 engine will let New Glenn deliver satellites directly to GEO. A government customer booked a 2028 cislunar launch.**

![Blue Origin announces GS3 third stage for New Glenn and Northstar methalox engine](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/88eeed7145d91eeb.jpg)
*Space.com*

Blue Origin announced on Nov. 5 that it has developed a third stage, called GS3, for its New Glenn rocket, Space.com reports. The company says the stage will make the launcher more capable and flexible [1]. On the same day it also disclosed a new first-stage engine, Northstar [1].

## GS3: third stage and first booking

GS3 will be powered by one BE-7 engine, which the company developed for its Blue Moon spacecraft, one of two private vehicles NASA selected as crewed lunar landers for Artemis [1]. According to Blue Origin, the stage enables direct deployment of satellite constellations to GEO and supports heavy-lift science and exploration missions to the Moon and deep space [1].

Blue Moon landing missions will not need to fly on GS3-equipped rockets, the company said. But by delivering significant payload mass directly to trans-lunar injection, GS3 enables faster transit times while preserving propellant for on-orbit operations [1]. A government customer, which Blue Origin did not name, has booked a GS3 mission to cislunar space, with launch targeted for 2028 [1].

New Glenn is currently a two-stage vehicle. Its reusable first stage has seven BE-4 engines and its second stage has two BE-3U engines. The rocket is 322 feet (98 meters) tall and can carry 14.3 tons (13 metric tons) to geostationary transfer orbit and 50 tons (45 metric tons) to low Earth orbit [1]. The planned 9x4 variant, with nine BE-4 and four BE-3U engines, will be nearly 400 feet (122 m) tall and, according to Blue Origin, will lift 15.4 tons (14 metric tons) to GTO and 77 tons (70 metric tons) to LEO [1].

New Glenn has flown three times, all in the 7x2 configuration: in January 2025, in November 2025 and on April 19. On the last flight the rocket placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into the wrong orbit, and the spacecraft was lost. On May 28 the rocket exploded on the pad during a routine engine test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The fourth flight is expected late this year [1].

## Northstar: new first-stage engine

Like the BE-4, Northstar burns liquid oxygen and liquid methane. Blue Origin says that compared with the BE-4 it reduces mass by 30% and parts count by 50%, while raising thrust from 640,000 to 715,000 pounds-force [1].

The company also said manufacturing advancements have shortened production timelines, enabling assembly in less than a day. Northstar went from program approval to development testing in 11 months, according to Blue Origin. The update did not give a date for the engine's first flight [1].

## Sources

1. [Space.com](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/blue-origin-announces-3rd-stage-for-its-powerful-new-glenn-rocket-and-a-new-engine)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-7a7a33ecbf3cd036921b8520_blue_origin_announces/