Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, reached a significant milestone in the satellite launch industry early Thursday with the successful maiden flight of its New Glenn rocket, named in honor of astronaut John Glenn, from Florida.
"We did it! Orbital. Great night for Team Blue. On to spring and trying again on the landing," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp wrote on X.
Blue Origin announced that its New Glenn rocket successfully passed the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, marking a major achievement for the company.
The flight, which took place early Thursday morning, is seen as Blue Origin's first significant step in competing with SpaceX's dominance in the space industry.
"Second stage engine cutoff confirmed. New Glenn's second stage and payload are now in orbit. Another burn coming up," the company tweeted, signaling progress as the rocket's second stage continued its journey after the separation of the first stage.
The 30-story New Glenn, featuring a reusable first stage, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly after 1:35 a.m. ET, following several earlier delays. The New Glenn rocket is both larger and more powerful than its smaller counterpart, which is primarily used for suborbital space tourism.
New Glenn also has the capability to carry crewed spacecraft, according to George Nield, president of Commercial Space Technologies.
He added that another potential application for the rocket is supporting commercial space stations.
With the International Space Station expected to be decommissioned by 2030, the competition to develop new platforms is intensifying.
Blue Origin is among the companies aiming to build the first privately operated space station.
Similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9, New Glenn incorporates a reusable first-stage booster, designed to withstand up to 25 flights, along with an expendable second stage.
Bezos' ambition to rival Elon Musk's SpaceX relies heavily on reusable rocket technology. The first stage, designed to return to Earth and be used again, houses the fuel tanks and generates the initial thrust needed for the rocket's journey into space.
