Blue Origin is going big with its upcoming rocket. The 320-foot-tall New Glenn is one of the largest vehicles ever constructed. “Rockets love to be big,” says Bezos when talking about the upcoming vessel. The billionaire also spent some time talking about how magnificent the hours-long process of setting up the rocket on the launch platform looks.
Although he did not understate the increased complexity that comes with scaling everything up there are advantages, Bezos claims, to a larger rocket. Obviously, a larger rocket can handle a larger payload, and this is one of the areas where Blue Origin’s rocket is attempting to outshine its rivals. One of the key plus points is how it deals with parasitic mass — which is a measure of all weight carried in onboard components and other items not considered payload — which Bezos describes as a major factor with smaller rockets and “trivial” on the larger vehicles.
However, a lot of the design principles of New Glenn still involve reducing the amount of parasitic mass the rocket has. Since any measure of parasitic mass adds weight to the rocket, that means more thrust and fuel are needed to get the thing into space. However, Bezons explained that techniques admire friction stir welding help control additional mass by joining two pieces of metal without melting either piece. The resulting weld is also as strong as the material it is joining, meaning weight doesn’t have to be added to mitigate any weak spots.
