Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched its massive New Glenn rocket for the first time on Thursday (Jan 16). The lift-off of the rocket was live-streamed by the space company.
The debut mission, which was previously delayed by several years, blasted off at 2:03 am (07:03 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in the US state of Florida.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 16, 2025
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“LIFTOFF! New Glenn is beginning its first ever ascent toward the stars,” Blue Origin wrote in an X post, confirming the successful lift-off.
The firm posted in another post, “New Glenn has passed the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space!”
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Minutes later the company posted, “Second stage engine cutoff confirmed. New Glenn's second stage and payload are now in orbit.”
The mission was a crucial one for Blue Origin to compete with its rival SpaceX, the private space company owned by Musk, which dominates the industry.
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Launched after multiple postpones
The initial test launch, which was originally scheduled on Monday (Jan 13), was postponed until today after facing repeated pauses during the countdown. The company later cited an icing issue on a purge line for the delay and said that they would attempt the launch on Tuesday (Jan 14). However, the weather conditions were unfavourable on the day, which led to further delay.
Blue Origin will also attempt to land New Glenn's first-stage booster on a drone ship, which is stationed about 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) away from the launch site in the Atlantic Ocean.
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While these types of landings are a usual routine for SpaceX, Blue Origin will be making its first attempt at it.
Blue Origin has secured a NASA contract for the launch of two Mars probes aboard New Glenn. The rocket will also deploy Project Kuiper, a satellite internet constellation that will compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.
The company’s other rivals include United Launch Alliance, Arianespace and Rocket Lab.
(With inputs from agencies)