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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches New Glenn rocket on first test flight

Jan 16, 2025 01:19 PM IST

The flight is a significant achievement after the launch faced several delays due to weather conditions

Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its reusable New Glenn rocket on January 16 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, reported Bloomberg.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifts off (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP)(AFP)
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifts off (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP)(AFP)

This inaugural flight marks a significant achievement for the company following several delays due to weather conditions and technical challenges.

The New Glenn Rocket, which is 320 feet tall, is set to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 by demonstrating reusability, a key feature that helps reduce launch costs and enhance mission efficiency.

Also Read: NASA's Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore issue ‘heartbreaking’ plea from ISS after being left stranded

The mission, named NG-1, aimed to demonstrate the rocket's capabilities by placing the Blue Ring Pathfinder test satellite into orbit and landing the rocket's booster onto a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The launch of the New Glenn is also important to clear a $10 billion backlog of contracts for customers such as NASA and the US defense department.

Also Read: Carried by SpaceX rockets, Bengaluru firm's ‘Fireflies’ make India's first private satellite constellation

Blue Origin is also a part of NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to send humans to the moon, and the rocket's success will help cement them as a viable option alongside Musk's SpaceX.

Bezos told Bloomberg, “There is going to be new uses for space that’s going to drive demand for large capacity up."

Also Read: ISRO successfully docks SpaDeX satellites in space, creates history

“SpaceX is going to be very successful. They’re going to continue to be very successful. Blue Origin is going to be successful. And there’s some company that hasn’t even been founded yet, hasn’t even been thought of yet — they’re going to be successful, too," he added stating that there were multiple winners in the space race.

Blue Origin plans to launch six to eight New Glenn flights in 2025, CEO Dave Limp told Bloomberg.

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