Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin achieved a significant milestone on Thursday with the successful launch and landing of its New Glenn rocket, marking a crucial step in its competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The towering 320-foot rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida just before 4 p.m. Eastern, executing a flawless separation of its first-stage booster.
Affectionately named “Never Tell Me the Odds,” the booster made its way back to Earth, navigating through cloud cover while firing its engines to slow descent. It landed safely on a barge named “Jacklyn,” a tribute to Bezos’s late mother, amidst cheers from Blue Origin employees. Following this, the New Glenn rocket deployed two NASA satellites into orbit.
This success in its second launch is a significant advancement for Blue Origin as it challenges SpaceX, which currently dominates the launch services market, providing solutions for NASA, military needs, and private enterprises. While SpaceX has executed a total of 11 test launches of its Starship rocket—achieving mixed results—the reliability of its Falcon 9 rocket remains strong, with regular launches every three days.
The New Glenn, named in honor of astronaut John Glenn, is a far more formidable rocket compared to Blue Origin’s earlier New Shepard, which was designed to take tourists on brief journeys to the edge of space. Unlike its predecessor, the New Glenn can carry larger payloads, including NASA spacecraft, and is engineered for reuse at least 25 times.
During its first launch in January, the New Glenn achieved orbit but fell short of successfully landing its booster on a sea platform. However, this latest mission not only carried NASA spacecraft destined for Mars but also served as a pivotal moment for Blue Origin’s credibility in the aerospace sector. Analysts noted that NASA’s choice to collaborate with Blue Origin on this mission indicates growing confidence in the New Glenn rocket.
Clayton Swope, an aerospace analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, remarked that Blue Origin’s transition to a paying customer demonstrates significant trust in the New Glenn vehicle, especially after just its second launch.
The advantages of New Glenn extend to the commercial realm as well. Blue Origin has secured agreements to facilitate launches for Amazon’s planned satellite communications network, Amazon Leo, as well as collaborations with AST SpaceMobile, which aims to offer direct-to-phone internet services through satellite technology. These initiatives mirror SpaceX’s Starlink, which has successfully generated substantial revenue from its extensive network of satellites.
The Thursday launch had faced delays, initially postponed on Sunday due to cloud conditions presenting a lightning hazard, and again on Wednesday due to elevated solar activity. With this successful launch, Blue Origin is certainly aiming to carve out its niche in the competitive space industry, hoping to establish a reputation for reliability and innovation in the years to come.