Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Launches New Glenn Rocket, Reaches Orbit on First Flight

Jan 16, 2025, 10:34 AM

Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its New Glenn rocket for the first time on Thursday, marking a milestone in the company's 24-year history. The 320-foot-tall rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:03 am EST, sending the Blue Ring Pathfinder prototype satellite into orbit thousands of miles above Earth. The launch came after several delays and positions Blue Origin as a new competitor in the market for heavy-lift orbital launches, which has been dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. While the rocket reached orbit successfully, the reusable first-stage booster failed to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean as planned. New Glenn is powered by BE-4 engines and is designed to carry heavy payloads into orbit. Elon Musk congratulated Jeff Bezos and the Blue Origin team on reaching orbit on their first attempt, and Bezos thanked Musk for the acknowledgment.