The first flight test of the New Glenn rocket of the Blue Origin company founded by Jeff Bezos was successful. The company disclosed that within minutes of the launch, which took place from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral in Florida with an hour’s delay due to some unforeseen technical issues, the upper part of the vehicle was able to reach orbit as planned, carrying the Blue Ring Pathfinder with it. This is a platform designed to carry and release into orbit multiple satellites for a load capable of supporting a weight of up to three tons. The lower part, however, disintegrated after separating from the other, failing to land on the platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The goal for which the 98-meter-tall rocket was designed is to be used to carry commercial cargo into orbit and return to Earth to be reused several times. Currently, however, the first launches will be to obtain National Security Space Launch certification.
“Our main goal today is to reach orbit safely. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. We know that landing the booster on our first attempt off the Atlantic is ambitious, but we are trying. No matter what happens, we will learn, refine and apply that knowledge to our next launch,” the company said in a post on X shortly before the launch.
A few hours ago Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin said, “I am incredibly proud that New Glenn reached orbit on the first attempt.”
Blue Origin began work on the rocket in 2012, and the first launch was originally scheduled for late 2024. However, some unforeseen technical and weather issues caused its delay. Elon Musk also congratulated Bezos for “reaching orbit on the first attempt” in a post on X.
