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 The first hotfire-tested BE-4, serial number 103, at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs in April 2018, showing the liquid methane inlet side of the engine | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| First flight | January 8, 2024 |
| Designer | Blue Origin |
| Manufacturer | Blue Origin |
| Associated LV | Vulcan Centaur New Glenn |
| Status | In production |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / CH4 |
| Cycle | Oxygen-rich staged combustion |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 2,400 kN (550,000 lbf) |
| Throttle range | 40–100% |
| Chamber pressure | 140 bar (14,000 kPa) |
| Specific impulse | 340 s (3.3 km/s)[1] |
| Burn time | 299 seconds (Vulcan)[2][3] |
| Gimbal range | ±5° |
The BE-4 (Blue Engine 4)[4] is a liquid rocket engine developed by Blue Origin. It uses an oxygen-rich, liquefied methane fuel and operates on a staged combustion cycle.[5] The BE-4 produces 2,400 kN (550,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.[6]
Development of the BE-4 was funded through a combination of private investment and public contracts.[7]
Although initially intended solely for use on Blue Origin's proprietary launch vehicle, the New Glenn, the engine was also selected in 2014 by United Launch Alliance (ULA) for its Vulcan Centaur rocket, which replaces the Atlas V.[8] ULA finalized the BE-4 as its choice in September 2018.[9]
The BE-4 made its first flight aboard the Vulcan Centaur rocket on 8 January 2024. It later launched on New Glenn for the first time on 16 January 2025.
- ^ Jeff Bezos, Tim Dodd (15 August 2024). First Look Inside Blue Origin's New Glenn Factory w/ Jeff Bezos. Event occurs at 1:10:48.
- ^ Jan. 8 LIVE Broadcast: Vulcan Cert-1. United Launch Alliance. Event occurs at 57:11. Retrieved 11 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Vulcan Cert-1". United Launch Alliance. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Boyle, Alan (17 September 2014). "Bezos vs. Musk: Blue Origin and ULA Turn Up the Heat in Rocket Battle". NBC News. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "Rocket Engines Designed for Reuse". Blue Origin. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "BE-4 Rocket Engine" (PDF). ULA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Berger, Eric (5 August 2021). "Blue Origin's powerful BE-4 engine is more than four years late—here's why". Ars Technica. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ars20160309was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "United Launch Alliance Building Rocket of the Future with Industry-Leading Strategic Partnerships". 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
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