Blue Origin introduces the Northstar engine and a New Glenn third stage

Blue Origin said on Nov. 5 that its Northstar booster engine produces 715,000 pounds of thrust, versus 640,000 for the BE-4, with 30 percent less mass and half the parts, and that a new BE-7 third stage, GS3, is under contract for a government cislunar launch in 2028 with stated capacity of up to 14 metric tons to GEO on New Glenn 9x4. The newsroom post says Northstar joins BE-4 and gives no flight date, after development testing began 11 months from approval. At the UP.Summit, CEO Dave Limp told Ars Technica that Northstar will eventually replace BE-4 on New Glenn at about a quarter of the manufacturing cost, while BE-4 production continues for United Launch Alliance's Vulcan.