Jeff Bezos’s rocket venture Blue Origin achieved a significant breakthrough on Sunday after successfully relaunching and recovering a New Glenn heavy rocket booster.
The achievement marks a crucial step in its pursuit of Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the reusable rocket sector.
The 322ft New Glenn vehicle lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7.25am local time following a brief delay.
Around 10 minutes after launch, the booster – nicknamed “Never Tell Me The Odds” – touched down safely on a floating platform positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.
This represents the first occasion on which Blue Origin has managed to land a New Glenn booster that had previously flown on an earlier mission.
The milestone brings the Amazon founder’s space company closer to matching his rival tech tycoon’s SpaceX – which pioneered the technique of recycling rocket boosters to reduce launch expenses.
SpaceX’s Falcon Nine rockets have completed hundreds of flights using refurbished boosters.
Despite the successful booster recovery, the mission encountered difficulties with its payload delivery.
The 322ft New Glenn vehicle lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7.25am local time
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Blue Origin’s New Glenn has been chosen to transport the lunar landing system for the fifth Artemis mission
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The rocket successfully touched down on a floating platform after the launch
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Blue Origin acknowledged that whilst the telecommunications satellite had been activated, it was positioned in an incorrect orbit.
The satellite, built by AST, was designed to provide mobile connectivity for operators including Vodafone.
Sunday’s flight marked the third successful launch for the New Glenn programme, which first flew in January 2025 before achieving its initial booster landing during a second mission last November.
The New Glenn rocket is considerably larger than SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and capable of transporting substantially heavier payloads into space.
Mr Bezos established Blue Origin in 2000 and has personally funded the entire operation
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However, the programme has experienced numerous delays during its lengthy development, with work beginning more than ten years ago.
Mr Bezos established Blue Origin in 2000 and has personally funded the entire operation.
The two billionaires have maintained an intense rivalry spanning over a quarter of a century, having launched their respective space enterprises around the same period.
Mr Musk has frequently claimed that the Amazon founder has imitated his space ventures.
Mr Musk has frequently claimed that the Amazon founder has imitated his space ventures
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Both entrepreneurs have developed satellite constellations aimed at providing global communications coverage, and each is now exploring plans to deploy artificial intelligence data centres in orbit.
SpaceX continues working on its Starship system, a 400ft fully reusable spacecraft intended to carry astronauts to the Moon for the first time in over five decades.
The company successfully captured a returning booster during a test flight in October 2024.
Nasa has selected both companies for its Artemis lunar programme, with the agency now targeting 2028 for returning humans to the Moon’s surface.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn has been chosen to transport the lunar landing system for the fifth Artemis mission.
