Blue Origin, founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, has achieved a significant milestone in its history by successfully launching its rocket, New Glenn, into orbit. The debut flight of the powerful rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2 a.m. ET and carried the experimental Blue Ring Pathfinder technology to space.
The mission was considered a success, with the demonstration technology safely reaching orbit. However, the company did not achieve its goal of guiding the first-stage booster back to a safe landing on a seafaring platform, known as Jacklyn, after takeoff. The recovery maneuver, which aims to replicate SpaceX’s successful reusability method, was attempted but ultimately unsuccessful.
Despite this setback, Blue Origin’s New Glenn is expected to play a crucial role in future missions, including launching two orbiters to Mars and helping to deploy Amazon’s constellation of internet satellites. The rocket also has plans to send space-based cellular broadband satellites for AST SpaceMobile.
The successful launch of New Glenn marks an exciting year ahead for the company, with its Blue Ring demonstration technology set to pave the way for a vehicle that could serve as an in-space Uber ride, enabling satellites to maneuver to multiple orbits and locations.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/16/science/new-glenn-launch-blue-origin/index.html