Blue Origin has successfully launched its New Glenn rocket to orbit

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket reaches orbit, marking a major step for the commercial space industry.

: Blue Origin has achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching its New Glenn rocket to orbit on January 16, 2025. This endeavor highlights the company's step-by-step approach under the motto 'gradatim ferociter' and sets the stage for increased competition with SpaceX. The new launch capability will expand options for space access, complementing Blue Origin's future projects like Blue Moon and Orbital Reef.

Blue Origin has reached a pivotal milestone with the successful launch of its New Glenn rocket to orbit on January 16, 2025, from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch signifies a major stride for the company, founded by Jeff Bezos, in achieving its vision of making space accessible for millions.

New Glenn's development, initiated in 2013 and publicly revealed in 2016, brings a more powerful rocket to Blue Origin's lineup, succeeding the suborbital New Shepard. While the maiden launch saw the first stage booster destroyed upon attempted recovery, the event marks a leap toward more robust commercial space launch capabilities.

The achievement introduces pivotal competition to SpaceX's dominance over U.S. launch services, anticipated to drive down costs and improve services through competition. Blue Origin's ongoing projects, including its crew vehicle development under a NASA agreement, bear the potential to further enhance human space travel capabilities.