Blue Origin, the aerospace company led by Jeff Bezos, has reached a significant milestone with its New Glenn rocket . During the NG-1 mission, the vehicle successfully completed its first launch on January 16, 2025 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This achievement reinforces the company’s role in the field of space exploration and security .
Promising launch of New Glenn
The New Glenn rocket , powered by seven BE-4 engines, lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at 2:03 a.m. EST. Its second stage, equipped with BE-3U engines, completed two burns that placed the payload into the intended orbit. However, the booster’s descent failed to achieve the planned landing, providing valuable lessons for future missions.
This launch is crucial to the company’s goals, which include lunar missions under the Artemis program and the development of infrastructure in low orbit. Its next steps include the Blue Moon Mark 1 and Mark 2 modules, designed to support sustained lunar exploration .
Additionally, New Glenn plays a strategic role in the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, supporting national security missions in collaboration with the United States Space Force.
Future of the program
With customers including NASA, Amazon Kuiper and AST SpaceMobile, Blue Origin is positioning itself as a key player in the commercial space industry . Jarrett Jones, senior vice president of New Glenn, said the company is looking to increase its launch rate and improve its manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand.
Although the booster failed to land on this occasion, Blue Origin is already preparing its next launch for the spring, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and continuous learning.
Blue Origin rocket launch. Source: Blue Origin
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Source and photos: Blue Origin