WATCH: Blue Origin launches New Glenn rocket on first test flight from Florida, loses booster
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket for its first test flight early Thursday, after several days of delays.
The rocket lifted off around 2 a.m. from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It safely reached its intended orbit during the NG-1 mission, which was the primary objective of the test flight.
As the rocket launched, the excitement from Blue Origin was noticeable as it carried test technology for its Blue Ring spacecraft.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA JANUARY 16: The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lits off at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station prior to its scheduled 1 a.m. January 16 launch on January 16, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The inaugural NG-
This technology could potentially deliver satellites deeper into space during future missions.
The company also attempted to land the first-stage booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean, but it was unsuccessful. Blue Origin stated that the booster did not make it.
"We lost the booster during descent. We knew landing the first stage on the first try was ambitious," Blue Origin said in a post on X. "We'll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch in the spring."
Overall, the company expressed being "thrilled" with Thursday's successful outcome.
What is Blue Origin?
The backstory: Blue Origin, a privately funded aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, focuses on developing reusable rockets, advancing human spaceflight capabilities, and innovating cutting-edge space technologies.
Blue Origin has successfully completed nine human spaceflights and 28 flights as part of the New Shepard Program. New Shepard has now flown 47 people into space three of which have flown twice.
The New Glenn rocket is the end result of Blue Origin's 10-year project to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA JANUARY 16: The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lits off at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station prior to its scheduled 1 a.m. January 16 launch on January 16, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The inaugural NG-
What is the Maiden Flight mission?
What we know: The maiden flight of the New Glenn launch vehicle carried the prototype Blue Ring payload tug along with a payload hoisting platform.
The platform includes a communications array, power systems, and a flight computer mounted on a secondary payload adapter ring, which will remain attached to the second stage.
This mission served as New Glenn's first certification flight for National Security Space Launch.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA JANUARY 16: The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lits off at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on January 16, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The inaugural NG-1 mission, a long-delayed uncrewed test mission
Why was New Glenn launch delayed?
Dig deeper: The 320-foot (98-meter) New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn Monday with a prototype satellite. But ice formed in a purge line for a unit powering some of the rocket’s hydraulic systems and launch controllers ran out of time to clear it, according to the company.
Blue Origin further delayed the launch because of Tuesday’s poor weather forecast for Cape Canaveral and a moonshot planned Wednesday by SpaceX.
The test flight already had been postponed by rough seas that posed a risk to Blue Origin’s plan to land the first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Blue Origin and reporting by the Associated Press.