CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — On Thursday, Blue Origin successfully launched its new rocket, New Glenn, marking its inaugural test flight. The rocket sent a prototype satellite into orbit, soaring thousands of miles above the Earth.
Named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the planet, the impressive 320-foot (98-meter) New Glenn rocket took off from Florida, departing from the same launch pad used for historical missions like NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft decades ago. This groundbreaking project, heavily funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, included an experimental platform designed to accommodate satellites or facilitate their deployment into specific orbits.
As all seven engines ignited at liftoff, the rocket illuminated the sky, delighting spectators who gathered on nearby beaches to witness the event. Bezos joined the team at Mission Control, and after a successful orbit that occurred 13 minutes post-launch, Blue Origin employees celebrated with enthusiasm while receiving a commendation from Elon Musk of SpaceX. Although the first-stage booster missed its targeted landing on an Atlantic barge, the company emphasized that achieving orbit was the primary objective. Bezos had described the attempt to land the booster on its first flight as “a little crazy.”
“Success! We did it!” exulted Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in a post on X, celebrating the successful orbital mission. “Now, we move towards spring for another attempt at the landing.”
During this test, the satellite was intended to remain within the second stage while orbiting the Earth. Plans were set for the second stage to be left in a secure position in a high-altitude orbit, adhering to NASA’s guidelines to minimize space debris.
Initially scheduled for liftoff on Monday, the launch was postponed due to ice complications within critical plumbing elements. The New Glenn rocket is designed to transport spacecraft and ultimately carry astronauts to both low Earth orbit and the Moon.
Founded by Bezos 25 years ago, Blue Origin has been sending paying customers to the edge of space since 2021, including Bezos himself. These shorter missions launched from Texas utilize smaller rockets named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space, while New Glenn, which pays tribute to John Glenn, stands five times taller.
Blue Origin invested over $1 billion to develop the New Glenn launch facility, refurbishing the historic Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This launch pad is situated about nine miles (14 kilometers) from the company’s control centers and rocket manufacturing site, just outside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The company anticipates conducting six to eight New Glenn flights in the current year, with another launch projected for the spring.
In a recent interview, Bezos opted not to disclose his personal financial involvement in the project but clarified that he views Blue Origin as part of a larger collaborative industry rather than a competitor to Musk’s SpaceX, which has long dominated rocket launches. “There’s ample space for multiple winners,” Bezos remarked, suggesting that this represents the “very, very beginning of a new phase in the space age,” where collaboration within the industry could lower the cost of space access.
The New Glenn rocket represents a wave of significant new launch vehicles recently introduced, alongside United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, Europe’s upgraded Ariane 6, and NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), designed as the successor to the legendary Saturn V for human moon landings. SpaceX’s Starship, the largest rocket at around 400 feet (123 meters), is also in the mix, with intentions for its seventh test flight being conducted later on the same day from Texas. Musk aims for a repeat of a previous triumph, where he successfully captured a returning booster on the launch pad using massive mechanical arms.
Starship has been earmarked by NASA to facilitate astronaut landings on the Moon within this decade. The initial moon landings under NASA’s Artemis program—reminiscent of the historic Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s—will involve crews descending from lunar orbit using Starship vehicles. Blue Origin’s lunar lander, named Blue Moon, is set to debut during the third lunar descent involving astronauts.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has advocated for multiple moon landers, similar to strategies employed in hiring separate companies for astronaut transportation to and from the International Space Station. Following the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, Nelson is set to step down. Trump has nominated technology billionaire Jared Isaacman to oversee NASA, a choice that requires Senate approval. Isaacman has previously traveled into orbit twice on his privately funded SpaceX missions.
New Glenn was initially planned to deploy twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA. However, the space agency decided to withdraw them from last October’s launch schedule when it became clear that the rocket would not be operational in time. These two compact spacecraft, named Escapade, are intended to study the Martian atmosphere and its magnetic field while orbiting the planet but will not fly until spring at the earliest.
