CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — Blue Origin successfully launched its colossal new rocket on its inaugural test mission Thursday, propelling a prototype satellite into orbit countless miles above Earth.
The New Glenn rocket, named in honor of the first American to orbit the planet, ascended from Florida using the same launch pad that was once utilized for NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer missions over fifty years ago.
The 320-foot rocket, conceived by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos over several years with substantial financial backing, is intended to transport satellites and deploy them into designated orbits. It featured an experimental platform.
At the moment of launch, all seven primary engines roared to life, and the rocket soared through the early morning sky, much to the excitement of onlookers gathered at a nearby beach. Bezos engaged in the controller’s actions, and Blue Origin staff celebrated as the spacecraft successfully reached orbit thirteen minutes later, an accomplishment acknowledged by SpaceX’s Elon Musk.
The company emphasized that while the first stage booster did not successfully land on the barge in the Atlantic Ocean, the more critical objective was met. Before the flight, Bezos remarked that attempting to land the booster on its first attempt was “a bit insane.”
“We accomplished it!” exclaimed Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp regarding achieving orbit via X. “Ascend to the spring and attempt the landing once more.”
For this trial, the satellite was engineered to stay within the second stage while orbiting Earth. The strategy included safely positioning the second stage to remain in a high, isolated orbit, adhering to NASA’s guidelines to reduce space debris.
New Glenn was originally slated to launch early Monday morning, but ice accumulation on key pipelines delayed the mission. This rocket is designed to transport spacecraft and, eventually, astronauts to orbit and the moon.
Founded by Bezos 25 years ago, Blue Origin has been taking passengers, including Bezos himself, to the edge of space for a fee since 2021. The brief journey from Texas uses a small rocket named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space. New Glenn, which pays tribute to John Glenn, stands five times taller.
Blue Origin has invested over $1 billion into the New Glenn launch facility and renovated Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s historic Complex 36. The launch site is situated nine miles from the company’s control center and rocket fabrication facility, just outside the gates of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Blue Origin aims for six to eight New Glenn flights this year, with the next one planned for this spring.
Bezos refrained from disclosing his personal financial commitment to the program in a weekend interview. He mentioned that he doesn’t perceive Blue Origin as a competitor to Musk’s SpaceX, which has long been the leader in rocket launches.
“There’s space for numerous victors,” Bezos stated, adding that this represents “the very outset of this new chapter of the space era, and we aim to collaborate across the industry to reduce costs. About access to space.”
New Glenn is positioned as the successor to United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, Europe’s upgraded Ariane 6, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), and the Saturn V for sending astronauts into orbit. It is the latest among a series of large new rockets that have emerged in recent years, including the Space Launch System (SLS).
The largest of these rockets, approximately 400 feet tall, is SpaceX’s Starship. Musk indicated that a seventh test launch of the entire rocket could happen late Thursday from Texas. He aspires to replicate his success from October, when he utilized a massive mechanical arm to capture the booster returning from the launch pad.
Starship is the vehicle NASA intends to employ for landing astronauts on the moon later this decade. The initial two lunar landings by the space agency’s Artemis initiative, which followed the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, saw a crew descend from lunar orbit to the surface in a spacecraft.
Blue Origin’s lunar lander, named Blue Moon, will make its appearance during the third moon landing by astronauts.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson advocated for developing a rival lunar lander, mirroring the approach of engaging two companies to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Nelson is expected to resign when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Monday.
President Trump has put forward tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, who has been sent into orbit twice on privately funded SpaceX missions, requires Senate confirmation.
The inaugural flight of New Glenn was meant to send twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA. However, it became evident that the rocket would not be ready in time, leading the space agency to withdraw from the planned flight last October. They intend to continue utilizing the New Glenn rocket, but not until spring at the earliest. The two small spacecraft, known as Escapade, aim to investigate the planet’s atmosphere and magnetic environment while orbiting it.
Dan reports for The Associated Press.