Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Achieves Orbit on First Launch

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully launched into orbit early Thursday, marking a significant milestone for Jeff Bezos’ space company. The 30-story rocket, equipped with a reusable first stage, lifted off at 2 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This mission is a key step in Blue Origin's efforts to compete with SpaceX in the satellite launch market.

The seven-engine rocket reached orbit on its second attempt this week, with Blue Origin VP Ariane Cornell confirming the achievement. "We hit our key, critical, number-one objective: we got to orbit safely," she announced. Despite the orbital success, the reusable first stage booster failed to land on a barge in the Atlantic, losing telemetry minutes after separation.

This launch concludes a decade-long development journey for New Glenn, marking Blue Origin’s first orbital flight in its 25-year history. Bezos monitored the launch from the control room, alongside CEO Dave Limp, who has accelerated the company’s focus on New Glenn and its BE-4 engines.

The rocket carried the Blue Ring vehicle, a prototype spacecraft designed for satellite servicing and national security missions. With a backlog of missions, including 27 launches for Amazon’s Kuiper internet satellites, New Glenn is set to challenge SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Offering double the payload capacity of Falcon 9, New Glenn aims to attract government and commercial customers.

Although development faced delays, Blue Origin's achievement signals intensified competition in the growing space industry. Bezos called the orbital milestone the mission's primary goal, with booster recovery being the “icing on the cake.”

As private space exploration expands, Blue Origin aims to establish itself as a leading player, rivaling SpaceX’s dominance.