Blue Origin's giant New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida early Thursday, January 16, morning on its first mission to space, an inaugural step into Earth's orbit for Jeff Bezos' space company as it aims to rival SpaceX in the satellite launch business.
Thirty stories tall with a reusable first stage, New Glenn launched around 2 a.m. ET (0700 GMT) from Blue Origin's launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, its seven engines thundering under cloudy skies on its second liftoff attempt this week.
Hundreds of employees at the company's Kent, Washington headquarters and its Cape Canaveral, Florida rocket factory roared in applause as Blue Origin VP Ariane Cornell announced the rocket's second stage made it to orbit, achieving a long-awaited milestone.
BLUE ORIGIN / REUTERS VIDEO
