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Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launching into space on Jan. 16, 2025. Credit: Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos' new rocket, taller than the Statue of Liberty, has blasted into space.
The giant 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket, named for legendary U.S. astronaut John Glenn, achieved a successful maiden launch after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just after 2 a.m. ET on Jan. 16, 2025. The Blue Origin rocket, designed to have a reusable first stage powered by seven powerful engines, provides valuable competition in the rapidly-evolving rocket industry.
The rocket has been in development for over a decade. So this was a much anticipated launch.
"We did it! Orbital. Great night for Team Blue," Dave Limp, Blue Origin's CEO, posted online after the launch.
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"On to spring and trying again on the landing," Limp added, referencing the ambitious but unsuccessful attempt to land the rocket's first stage on the droneship Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. This is no easy feat; it took SpaceX many tries to land a booster.
Here's the behemoth rocket, one of the largest ever built, launching to Earth's orbit:
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedBy 2026, Blue Origin hopes to kick up its launch cadence significantly, launching up to twice a month.
The company's rocket factory is nine miles from the launch pad you see above, which would allow Blue Origin to rapidly refurbish and deliver rockets to the Space Force base.
New Glenn, after a successful first launch, will compete with the heavy-lift rockets of SpaceX, a company that has come to dominate the rocket industry.
Mark is an award-winning journalist and the science editor at Mashable. After working as a ranger with the National Park Service, he started a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating people about the happenings on Earth, and beyond.
He's descended 2,500 feet into the ocean depths in search of the sixgill shark, ventured into the halls of top R&D laboratories, and interviewed some of the most fascinating scientists in the world.
You can reach Mark at [email protected].
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