WASHINGTON - A month after a pad explosion that would make most people rethink their career choices, Blue Origin has emerged with a plan to get its New Glenn rocket back in the air by the end of the year. The company outlined a new concept of operations, or CONOPS, that involves a horizontal/vertical hybrid approach to transport the rocket to the pad, replacing the transporter/erector that met an untimely end in the May 28 explosion.

CEO Dave Limp announced on June 30 that instead of rebuilding the same pad, they're skipping straight to a hybrid method they had been developing for the upgraded New Glenn 9×4 vehicle. The new plan: roll the rocket horizontally from an integration facility, crane it upright, then attach the payload. It's like assembling IKEA furniture, but with a 30-story rocket and significantly higher stakes.

Limp assured that this approach will let New Glenn resume launches from the rebuilt pad this year. “Our road to space doesn’t pause here. We will return to flight by the end of this year,” he wrote, presumably while not making eye contact with the smoldering crater. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, with early analysis pointing to the aft section of the first stage. Limp didn't specify if the seven BE-4 engines are suspects, but United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur - which uses the same engine - is probably sweating bullets.

Industry watchers are skeptical but intrigued. Kelvin Coleman, former FAA associate administrator, called the timeline “pretty aggressive” during a June 30 panel. NASA, which is counting on New Glenn to launch its Blue Moon lunar landers, is cautiously optimistic. Administrator Jared Isaacman praised Blue Origin's response as “almost beyond impressive,” though that might just be the relief talking. NASA is sticking with Plan A for now, but has until mid-2027 before the delays start affecting Artemis 3.

If Blue Origin pulls this off, it would be a remarkably fast recovery - faster than SpaceX's 2016 pad explosion recovery or Orbital ATK's 2014 Antares failure. But as anyone who's watched rocket science knows, fast and space don't always mix well.