Blue Origin, the aerospace enterprise established by billionaire Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its formidable New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time early Thursday morning, marking a significant advancement in the burgeoning commercial space sector.
The rocket, originally scheduled for its inaugural mission years prior, lifted off at 2:03 am (0703 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, as confirmed by a live broadcast of the event.
This mission is regarded as pivotal for Blue Origin as it seeks to establish itself in direct competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which currently holds a dominant position in the commercial space industry.
On the social media platform X, Blue Origin exuberantly announced, “LIFTOFF! New Glenn is embarking on its inaugural ascent toward the stars.” Shortly thereafter, they proclaimed, “New Glenn has surpassed the Kármán line, the internationally acknowledged frontier of space!”
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 16, 2025
In an official statement, Blue Origin conveyed that the second-stage engine had successfully reached its designated orbit, noting that the Blue Ring advanced spaceship prototype accompanying the rocket was “collecting data and performing admirably.” However, the first-stage booster, intended for reuse, was unfortunately lost during its descent.
“I am immensely proud that New Glenn achieved orbit on its first attempt,” remarked CEO Dave Limp in the statement. “We recognized that landing our booster on the inaugural try was an ambitious objective. We will learn extensively from today’s mission and aim to retry during our subsequent launch this spring.”
Blue Origin had planned to recover the booster—powered by liquid methane and designed for up to 25 missions—on a drone ship stationed approximately 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. In contrast, SpaceX has made similar landings a routine occurrence; thus, this would have been Blue Origin’s first attempt.
In an unexpected display of sportsmanship, Musk extended congratulations to Bezos on New Glenn’s successful launch, commending him for reaching orbit on the first attempt.
Following a series of delays, which included an early Monday scrubbed attempt due to a detected icing issue on a purge line, the NG-1 mission materialized with Bezos attempting to challenge his wealthier contemporary, Musk.
SpaceX has established a near-monopoly in the orbital launch arena with its widely-utilized Falcon 9 rockets, essential for both commercial and government missions. “For several years, SpaceX has functioned almost as the sole provider, making competition vital,” remarked G. Scott Hubbard, a retired NASA official, and expressed optimism that this rivalry could lead to reduced launch costs.
On board New Glenn’s test flight is the Defense Department’s Blue Ring prototype, an advanced spacecraft that could potentially traverse the solar system. Physically imposing, the 320-foot (98-meter) New Glenn significantly eclipses SpaceX’s 230-foot Falcon 9 and is engineered to accommodate heavier payloads, while its broader payload fairing can transport cargo equivalent to the load of 20 trucks.
New Glenn successfully reached its intended orbit during today’s NG-1 mission, accomplishing our primary objective. The second stage is in its final orbit following two successful burns of the BE-3U engines. The Blue Ring Pathfinder is receiving data and performing well. pic.twitter.com/MmDlCb6AVj
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) January 16, 2025
Blue Origin has secured a NASA contract to deploy two Mars probes using New Glenn, and the rocket will also facilitate the launch of Project Kuiper, a satellite internet constellation aimed at rivaling SpaceX’s Starlink.
Nevertheless, at this moment, SpaceX maintains a substantial advantage, while other competitors such as United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, and Rocket Lab lag significantly behind.
Both Musk and Bezos share an enduring fascination with space. However, while Musk imagines the colonization of Mars, Bezos envisions relocating heavy industry off Earth to floating space platforms, thereby safeguarding “humanity’s blue origin.”
© Agence France-Presse
Vocabulary List:
- Inaugural /ɪˈnɔːɡjʊrəl/ (adjective): Referring to the first of a kind or introduction of something.
- Burgeoning /ˈbɜːrdʒənɪŋ/ (adjective): Beginning to grow or increase rapidly; flourishing.
- Exuberantly /ɪɡˈzuːbərəntli/ (adverb): In an extremely joyful and energetic manner.
- Pivotal /ˈpɪvətl/ (adjective): Of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something.
- Prototype /ˈproʊtətaɪp/ (noun): A first model of something from which other forms are developed or copied.
- Ambitious /æmˈbɪʃəs/ (adjective): Having a strong desire for success or achievement.
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