Blue Origin: rebuilt LC-36A to activate early-to-mid December — New Glenn return to flight still possible before year's end
From the Space digest for Oct 26, 2026
What happened: Jeff Foust reports from the Astronomical Society's Von Braun Symposium (~4:00 PM ET, October 26) that Blue Origin's John Couluris said the company is planning to activate the rebuilt Launch Complex 36A in early to mid December, with a New Glenn return to flight still possible before year's end.
What's genuinely new: the rebuilt pad's activation has its first specific period — early-to-mid December, from a named company source — landing days after the LC-36A launch tower was confirmed fully re-stacked (October 24), so both the pad side and the vehicle side of the return-to-flight line now carry dated positions against the standing commitment to fly again in 2026.
Watch: whether the early-to-mid December activation holds, whether New Glenn flies before December 31, and what mission carries the return to flight.
Sources Jeff Foust on X