Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has successfully launched a rocket into orbit for the first time.
In a feat that puts the company in a position to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the launch business, Blue Origin’s New Glenn reusable rocket lifted off in darkness from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:03 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
It’s six-hour mission took Blue Origin’s Blue Ring into a medium-Earth orbit.
‘Blue Ring’ And Booster Landing
Blue Ring is a platform designed to support and help satellites relocate in orbit. It can also refuel satellites and host data and offer edge computing capability, according to Blue Origin. The example launched today is a prototype called DarkSky-1 Blue Ring Pathfinder.
Although the maiden flight of New Glenn was a success, Blue Origin’s attempt to land the booster on a landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean failed. The company stated beforehand that this part of a mission would be a bonus.
New Glenn’s reusable first stage is designed for at least 25 missions.
Orbit On First Attempt
“I’m incredibly proud New Glenn achieved orbit on its first attempt,” said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, in a press release. “We knew landing our booster, So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance, on the first try was an ambitious goal. We’ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring. Thank you to all of Team Blue for this incredible milestone.”
Its maiden mission had been delayed a few times due to technical issues and poor weather, with the initial launch planned for Monday.
“Today marks a new era for Blue Origin and for commercial space,” said Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn, in a press release. “We’re focused on ramping our launch cadence and manufacturing rates. My heartfelt thanks to everyone at Blue Origin for the tremendous amount of work in making today’s success possible and to our customers and the space community for their continuous support. We felt that immensely today.”
Blue Origin Vs. SpaceX
How big is New Glenn? Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket—in development for almost a decade—becomes only the third reusable rocket in the orbital space business, after SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
Standing more than 320 feet (98 meters) tall and powered by its BE-4 engines—each using liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas engine—New Glenn is taller than Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy’s 229 feet but shorter than SpaceX’s Starship’s 395 feet and NASA’s Space Launch System’s 322 feet.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
