Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Reaches Orbit in First Attempt

The rocket’s upper stage reached orbit, which was the main goal of the test flight, but an attempt to land the first-stage booster failed.

The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifts off in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 16, 2025. Photo by Miguel J. Rodríguez Carrillo/Getty Images

Blue Origin, the space technology company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its New Glenn rocket for the first time on Jan. 15, sending a prototype satellite into orbit thousands of miles above Earth.

Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, the 320-foot-tall, two-stage rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:03 a.m. ET under cloudy skies.