Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches giant New Glenn rocket on 1st flight

On January 16, 2025By Littum

The rocket is the first that Blue Origin developed with the goal of sending satellites, equipment and — one day — even people into orbit for paying customers.

A huge Blue Origin rocket meant to challenge SpaceX in regularly deploying satellites and other cargo into orbit underwent its first flight test Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The New Glenn rocket, developed by the space technology company owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had been rolled out days ago to the launch pad in preparation for its debut flight. It was before a series of both weather and technical issues delayed the launch that Blue Origin finally managed to withdraw in the early hours of the morning.

The rocket is the first that Blue Origin developed with the goal of sending satellites, equipment and — one day — even people into orbit for paying customers.

The service would be a direct challenge to SpaceX’s dominance of the commercial spaceflight market. Most notably, the company has spent years building a constellation of thousands of privately owned Starlink satellites that deliver internet to customers around the world.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn spacecraft takes off from Florida

The new Glenn rocket lifted off at 2:03 a.m. EST from Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Blue Origin said in an update on its website.

The launch complex, which Blue Origin spent $1 billion to rebuild, lies nine miles from which the rocket is manufactured.

The main purpose of the unmanned spaceflight was for the second stage of the vehicle to safely reach orbit before Blue Origin attempted to land the rocket booster, or first stage, on a barge several hundred miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

While the second stage reached orbit and “functioned well,” Blue Origin said in its latest update that the booster was lost during descent. Landing the booster on the first try was admittedly “an ambitious goal,” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a statement.

“I am incredibly proud of the orbit New Glenn achieved on its first attempt,” Limp said. “We will learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring.”

The vehicle was scheduled to lift off as early as January 10, before high seas in the Atlantic forced the company to abandon that plan.

The maiden flight was then scheduled for early Monday before a technical problem was encountered with the vehicle, which was later revealed to be ice buildup in critical tubes on the spacecraft. Another launch attempt on Tuesday was also scrubbed, this time due to bad weather.

What is New Glenn?

Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, the New Glenn is a 320-foot heavy-lift launch vehicle that rivals SpaceX’s 400-foot Starship in size. Its first stage, powered by seven Blue Origin engines known as BE-4, is designed to be reusable for 25 missions.

On its first flight, the spacecraft carried cargo related to Blue Ringthe company’s multi-role orbital platform. The Explorer remained aboard New Glenn’s second stage during the six-hour mission.

“Blue Ring plays a critical role in building a path to space, and this mission is an important first step for Blue Ring and enables dynamic and responsive operations that will greatly benefit our nation,” said Paul Ebertz, senior vice president of Blue Origin’s in-space systems, in a statement.

Blue Origin looks set to compete with SpaceX

Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch comes as the company seeks to be a major player in the commercial space industry, competing with billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket has become one of the most active in the world — a go-to for NASA and even other private companies that launch spacecraft into orbit. Musk’s commercial space transportation company also leads the way in satellite launches, having launched more than 6,000 operational Starlink satellites into orbit since 2019.

Blue Origin executives said Thursday’s launch will move the New Glenn rocket one step closer to shuttling Project Kuiper satellites to orbit and undertake other missions for paying customers – including NASA and telecom providers.

And as SpaceX develops and tests its massive Starship for crewed travel, Blue Origin said New Glenn is similarly slated to launch on future NASA lunar missions under the U.S. space agency’s Artemis program.

“Today marks a new era for Blue Origin and for the commercial space,” Jarrett Jones, a Blue Origin senior vice president overseeing New Glenn, said in a statement “We are focused on increasing our launch cadence and production rates.”

Blue Origin’s New Shephard also flies

New Glenn’s smaller counterpart, Blue Origin’s New Shephard, is also undergoing routine flights.

In October 2024, Blue Origin completed a launch and landing of an unmanned flight test for its next New Shepard spacecraft, which will one day take humans on suborbital trips high above Earth.

The launch from Texas marked the debut of Blue Origin’s NS-27, which is the second New Shepard vehicle designed for passengers. While there were no humans aboard during the demonstration, eight of the 26 missions Blue Origin has completed to date carried a crew on its first New Shepard vehicle — including Bezos himself.

Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected]