Blue Origin is expanding its presence at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Florida, with new test sites and production facilities. The company is constructing a new test site near its campus, referred to as the “MILA test site,” and rebuilding Launch Complex 36. Simultaneously, Blue Origin is utilizing NASA’s Stennis Space Center for second stage testing, transporting hardware via NASA’s Pegasus barge.
The company filed documentation for lightning protection towers and construction equipment for the MILA test site, located within the Merritt Island Launch Area. Groundwork and tanks have already been delivered to the site. While the specific testing planned for MILA is unconfirmed, it is not expected to support first stage New Glenn testing due to proximity to populated areas, but could potentially support second stage testing or cryogenic propellant tests without engine ignition.
Blue Origin has also begun utilizing the historic B-2 test cell at NASA’s Stennis Space Center for second stage testing, with hardware arriving via the Pegasus barge after it delivered a boattail for the SLS (Artemis IV). The GS2 service structure, previously used at Launch Complex 36, is also being moved to Stennis. The pad at Launch Complex 36 is currently undergoing repairs.
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