Blue Origin has successfully landed the booster of its largest rocket, New Glenn, marking a major achievement for Jeff Bezos's space venture. The 98-metre rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying NASA's Escapade mission and a Viasat satellite terminal, before returning safely to a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
The launch comes several months later than planned and nearly a year after Blue Origin's inaugural New Glenn flight. The mission demonstrates Blue Origin's growing capability in reusable rocket technology, a field where rival SpaceX has already completed over 500 booster landings.
Milestone for commercial space
New Glenn's second flight ferried critical research spacecraft toward Mars and highlighted Blue Origin's push to rival SpaceX in the commercial launch market. While the rocket's payload capacity of 45 tonnes is smaller than SpaceX's Starship, the launch represents a key step in securing multibillion-dollar contracts with Amazon and the US government.
Since taking over as CEO in 2023, Blue Origin's leader has overseen layoffs and a cultural shift toward increased risk-taking. Experts see the successful New Glenn landing as a sign that the company may accelerate its launch cadence and strengthen its position in the global space market, including NASA's Artemis Moon mission and Amazon's Leo satellite program.
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