Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending a prototype satellite into orbit thousands of miles above Earth.
The New Glenn rocket, named after the first American to orbit Earth, took off from Florida from the same pad used to launch NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft half a century ago.
The 300-foot (98-metre) rocket, developed over years and with millions of dollars invested by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will be used to carry satellites and launch them into proper orbits. It was equipped with an experimental platform designed in
At liftoff, all seven main engines ignited and the rocket hurtled through the pre-dawn sky, much to the delight of spectators lining a nearby beach. Bezos participated in the controller action, and Blue Origin employees cheered as the spacecraft reached orbit 13 minutes later, a feat that drew praise from SpaceX’s Elon Musk.
The company stressed that although the first stage booster failed to land on the barge in the Atlantic Ocean, a more important goal was achieved. Bezos said before the flight that trying to land the booster on the first try was “a little crazy.”
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/John Rau)
“We did it!” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said of reaching orbit via X. “Go up to the spring and try the landing again.”
For this test, the satellite was designed to remain within the second stage while orbiting the Earth. The plan called for the second stage to be safely positioned and remain in a high, out-of-the-way orbit, following NASA practices to minimize space debris.
New Glenn was scheduled to fly before dawn on Monday, but ice buildup on critical pipes caused delays. Rockets are built to carry spacecraft and, ultimately, astronauts to orbit and the moon.
Blue Origin, founded by Bezos 25 years ago, has been flying passengers, including Bezos, to the edge of space for a fee starting in 2021. The short hop from Texas will use a small rocket named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space. New Glenn, which honors John Glenn, is five times taller.
Blue Origin has poured more than $1 billion into the New Glenn launch site and rebuilt Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s historic Complex 36. The airfield is located 9 miles (14 kilometers) from the company’s control center and rocket factory outside the gates of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Blue Origin plans six to eight New Glenn flights this year, with the next scheduled for this spring.
Bezos declined to reveal his personal investment in the program in an interview over the weekend. He said he doesn’t see Blue Origin competing with Musk’s SpaceX, long the champion of rocket launches.
“There is room for many winners,” Bezos said, adding that this is “the very beginning of this new phase of the space age, where we all work together as an industry to lower the cost of access to space.” ” he added. space. “
New Glenn will be launching a fleet of aircraft including United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, Europe’s improved Ariane 6, and NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the successor to the Saturn V for sending astronauts to space. It is the latest in a series of large new rockets launched in recent years. month.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/John Rau)
The largest rocket, approximately 400 feet (123 meters) tall, is SpaceX’s Starship. Musk said a seventh test flight of the entire rocket could take place late Thursday from Texas. He hopes to repeat his success in October, when he used a giant mechanical arm to catch the booster returning from the launch pad.
Starship is what NASA plans to use to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. The first two moon landings by the space agency’s Artemis program, which followed the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, involved a crew descending from lunar orbit to the surface in a spacecraft.
Blue Origin’s lander, called Blue Moon, will make its debut on the third moon landing by astronauts.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson pushed for the development of a competing lunar lander, similar to the strategy of hiring two companies to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Nelson will step down when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Monday.
President Trump has nominated tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to run NASA. Isaacman, who has been launched into orbit twice on privately funded SpaceX flights, must be confirmed by the Senate.
New Glenn’s debut was to send twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA. However, it became clear that the rocket would not be ready in time, and the space agency withdrew from the planned flight last October. They will continue to fly on New Glenn rockets, but not until spring at the earliest. The two small spacecraft, named Escapade, aim to study the planet’s atmosphere and magnetic environment while orbiting the planet.
Discover the benefits of subscription!
Stay informed with access to our award-winning journalism.
Avoid misinformation with reliable, accurate reporting.
Make smarter decisions with key insights.
Choose your subscription package
