Blue Origin presents the Blue Ring space tugboat
Blue Origin presents a multifunctional platform for Earth orbit and beyond.
Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin is working on reusable rockets, orbital outposts, and lunar vehicles, aiming to create a future where millions of people will live and work in space.
The system integration is a large multifunctional platform that can place, launch and refuel spacecraft, as well as provide other services from Earth orbit, lunar space and beyond. Blue Origin has introduced Blue Ring, a space platform focused on space logistics and delivery.
On October 16, Blue Origin unveiled a platform called Blue Ring, along with a new business unit, In-Space Systems, to widely promote its transportation, hosting, refueling, data relay, cloud computing, and other services.
What’s new at Blue? Our vision to build a road to space now includes a new, multi-orbit spacecraft platform called Blue Ring. Check it out here: https://t.co/GRh1MvpJIM pic.twitter.com/NL9Z9nyOU0
– Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 16, 2023
This project is reported to surpass all existing ESPA orbital vehicle, tug and propulsion concepts.
ESPA is an abbreviation for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adaptor.
This platform has the versatility for different missions and multiple clients at each launch.
The Blue Ring will be able to deploy and/or launch 500 kg satellites on a dozen standard ESPA and ESPA Grande ports, as well as mount a 2-ton satellite on the upper deck.
The Blue Ring will be able to carry more than 3 tons of payload, depending on whether the spacecraft will be launched into one or more Earth orbits, including geostationary orbits, and/or to Lagrange points, lunar space, lunar orbits, or even interstellar space.
The platforms will be equipped with a hybrid chemical and solar-electric remote control system developed and mainly produced by Blue Origin.
The company declined to provide detailed information about the Blue Ring engines, except to say that they are not a repurposing of the current BE-3, BE-4 or BE-7 engine line.
As for electricity, Blue Rings will be equipped with retractable solar panels. The size of the platform is not disclosed.
“The Blue Ring will be able to launch inside the current 5.4-meter fairings of the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Vulcan, as well as the New Glenn.
“The Blue Ring will be able to maneuver between different orbits. Blue Ring offers the ability to deliver multiple payloads to several different orbits.
The platform, designed to last for five years, can be refueled in orbit and is also capable of refueling other spacecraft. Blue Origin takes care of all development costs and offers the platform as a fully integrated service.
The first launch of the Blue Ring will take place in 2025
The Blue Ring development units are manufactured at Blue Origin’s headquarters in Kent, Washington. Additional units will be built at the company’s plant in Huntsville, Alabama, and components will be supplied at other sites.
