Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, successfully placed its New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time on Thursday, as reported in a live broadcast.
The 98-meter-tall spacecraft, which is as tall as a 32-story building, launched at 2:03 local time (4:03 in Brasilia) from the Cape Canaveral space base in Florida.
Bezos, the owner of Amazon, is targeting Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, with his NG-1 mission, as Musk’s SpaceX company currently leads the orbital launch market with its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
The mission successfully achieved its primary goal of placing the rocket’s second stage in orbit, as stated by Blue Origin executive Ariane Cornell during the live broadcast.
The company’s director, David Limp at X, confirmed that this was their intended objective.
Blue Origin has extensive experience in taking tourists to space for short durations using its small New Shepard rockets, but they have not yet conducted any orbital flights.
New Glenn’s first flight, named in honor of a renowned astronaut, was highly anticipated and faced multiple delays over the years.
Musk congratulated Bezos for successfully reaching orbit on the first try.
Bezos established Blue Origin in 2000, preceding Musk’s founding of SpaceX by two years. However, Bezos took a more careful approach to development compared to his rivals.
“We misplaced the thruster.”
Blue Origin planned to place the rocket in orbit and then attempt to land the rocket’s propeller on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean, a challenging maneuver also attempted by SpaceX without success.
The company’s representatives admitted to losing the propeller during a live broadcast.
Blue Origin has an agreement with Nasa to send two Mars probes on New Glenn. The rocket will also help with the Kuiper Project, a satellite meant to rival the Starlink internet network.
The New Glenn is taller than the 70-meter Falcon 9 and can carry heavier payloads.
Its mass capability falls between that of Falcon 9 and its predecessor Falcon Heavy, but it features a larger payload area that is well-suited for carrying bulkier cargo.
SpaceX remains ahead in the space race, with competitors like United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, and Rocket Lab lagging behind.
Musk’s company is working on the biggest and most powerful rocket ever created, called the Starship, which will undergo its seventh test flight on Thursday.
Bezos shares Musk’s interest in space, but he envisions moving industry to floating space platforms rather than colonizing Mars to protect Earth, which he calls “the blue origin of mankind”.