Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches landmark Mars mission in New Glenn rocket’s first big test
Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Amazon multibillionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its towering New Glenn rocket on a mission that marked its first major test.
Carrying a pair of satellites that are destined to take a long, winding trip to Mars, New Glenn took flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just before 4 p.m. ET Thursday.
Blue Origin also landed the first stage of the rocket back on a seafaring platform for the first time, marking a monumental stride forward in the company’s efforts to make the New Glenn rocket reusable, less expensive, and a better competitor for Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Blue Origin had been slated to launch the NASA mission, called Escapade, on Sunday, but cloud cover resulted in the decision to postpone liftoff. The company then had to work with the Federal Aviation Administration, which recently implemented a ban on most rocket launches during daylight hours amid the government shutdown, to find a new opportunity to take off.
The launch of Escapade — short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers — marked the first flight for New Glenn with a customer payload onboard. The rocket completed its inaugural flight in January carrying Blue Origin-made demonstration technology in its cargo bay.
