Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has made history by successfully landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the first time any company besides SpaceX has achieved this feat. The rocket, which was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carried two NASA science probes to space and is now set to embark on a two-year journey to Mars.
The New Glenn rocket, named after late NASA astronaut John Glenn, soared to an altitude of 79 miles (127 kilometers) before beginning a controlled plunge back into the atmosphere. Three engines reignited moments before reaching the Atlantic, slowing down its descent before finally landing safely on Blue Origin's recovery platform.
This achievement is significant not only for Blue Origin but also for the space industry as a whole. "Never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try," said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin. The company plans to reuse the same booster next year for the first launch of its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar cargo lander.
The New Glenn rocket is part of NASA's Artemis lunar program and will eventually launch human-rated lunar landers to the Moon. Blue Origin has long lagged behind SpaceX in the commercial launch business, but this achievement puts the company firmly on par with its rival.
The mission also marks a milestone for NASA's ESCAPADE satellites, which were developed and launched by Rocket Lab at a budget of about $80 million. The spacecraft will begin their nearly two-year journey to Mars next year, setting off from a unique orbit more than a million miles from Earth.
For Blue Origin, the success of the New Glenn rocket is a major step forward in its strategy to understand Mars' past and present so that future missions can send astronauts safely. Understanding Martian space weather is crucial for protecting systems, robots, and humans in extreme environments.
As for SpaceX, the company's dominance in reusable rocket technology has been challenged by Blue Origin's achievement. However, with just a single recovery in the books, Blue Origin sits second in the rankings for propulsive landings of orbit-class boosters behind SpaceX, which has logged 532 landings with its Falcon booster fleet.
With this success, Blue Origin is poised to take its place alongside SpaceX as one of the leading players in the reusable rocket industry.
The New Glenn rocket, named after late NASA astronaut John Glenn, soared to an altitude of 79 miles (127 kilometers) before beginning a controlled plunge back into the atmosphere. Three engines reignited moments before reaching the Atlantic, slowing down its descent before finally landing safely on Blue Origin's recovery platform.
This achievement is significant not only for Blue Origin but also for the space industry as a whole. "Never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try," said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin. The company plans to reuse the same booster next year for the first launch of its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar cargo lander.
The New Glenn rocket is part of NASA's Artemis lunar program and will eventually launch human-rated lunar landers to the Moon. Blue Origin has long lagged behind SpaceX in the commercial launch business, but this achievement puts the company firmly on par with its rival.
The mission also marks a milestone for NASA's ESCAPADE satellites, which were developed and launched by Rocket Lab at a budget of about $80 million. The spacecraft will begin their nearly two-year journey to Mars next year, setting off from a unique orbit more than a million miles from Earth.
For Blue Origin, the success of the New Glenn rocket is a major step forward in its strategy to understand Mars' past and present so that future missions can send astronauts safely. Understanding Martian space weather is crucial for protecting systems, robots, and humans in extreme environments.
As for SpaceX, the company's dominance in reusable rocket technology has been challenged by Blue Origin's achievement. However, with just a single recovery in the books, Blue Origin sits second in the rankings for propulsive landings of orbit-class boosters behind SpaceX, which has logged 532 landings with its Falcon booster fleet.
With this success, Blue Origin is poised to take its place alongside SpaceX as one of the leading players in the reusable rocket industry.
Blue Origin just landed a massive rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean like it's no big deal... which is kinda cool I guess 
. I was thinking, who needs the Moon when you can land a rocket on water? That's like me trying to park my car in the ocean and calling it a 'day well done' 
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. Anyway, this Blue Origin achievement marks a big step forward for space exploration and we should all be excited about it! 
. But at the same time, it's weird that SpaceX has been doing reusable rocket tech for years already and Blue Origin just caught up with this one achievement... still, credit where credit is due, they're making progress 
. Can't wait to see what other surprises they've got in store! 
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just wow blue origin is killing it rn 
their new glenn rocket is like whoa 
landing on a floating platform in the atlantic ocean was always a pipe dream but they made it happen 
it's not just about them tho, this achievement is huge for the space industry as a whole 
nasa's artemis lunar program is gonna take off (pun intended) 
blue origin is killin' the game right now, and I'm hyped to see where this tech takes us next... Mars exploration is gonna get so much more legit with all these companies pushing boundaries. NASA's gonna have some serious competition when they launch those human-rated lunar landers - it'll be like a space Olympics! 
They're always trying to one-up each other with these crazy achievements, but have they really thought this through? Like, what's the point of a floating platform in the middle of the ocean? Is it just to show off or is there some actual practical application? 
my cousin's best friend is a rocket scientist and he's like super stoked for blue origin 
they've been working on that new glenn rocket for ages and it finally paid off! did u know that the name 'new glenn' is actually after john glenn who was a legend in space history? 
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk..." - Mark Zuckerberg 
I mean, who needs a safety net when you're about to land on water? Just kidding! 
It's actually pretty impressive that Blue Origin was able to pull off this feat. They've been working hard to catch up with SpaceX, and now they're giving those guys some serious competition. Reusability is the future of space travel, and it's awesome to see companies like Blue Origin leading the way. 
. But seriously, this Blue Origin thing is pretty cool - I guess it's about time they stepped up their game after lagging behind SpaceX for so long. Now we're talking reusable rockets and Mars-bound missions... it's like the ultimate space battle 
. And can you imagine having to name a rocket after a dead NASA astronaut? John Glenn, huh? That's some serious dedication 
. Anyways, I'm just glad these companies are pushing the boundaries of space exploration - now if only they could figure out how to get me a decent internet connection on Mars 
. And yeah, sure, SpaceX is still way ahead in reusable rocket tech, but who cares? It's not like anyone's going anywhere anytime soon 
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? Like, they're basically saying "Hey, we need your booster, thanks for doing all the hard work!" 
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I mean, don't get me wrong, it's still pretty cool that they landed on a floating platform... but seriously, three engines reigniting right before impact? That's just begging to be considered a fluke. And what about reusability? Just one landing doesn't exactly put them on the same level as SpaceX, who's been crushing it in this department for years 
. It's also awesome that they'll be launching human-rated lunar landers soon, I'm hyped to see what the future holds for space exploration 
The New Glenn rocket landing was SOOO EPIC!!! I mean, who needs grammar rules when you're redefin' the game of space tech lol? 
. I'm def rooting for Blue Origin now, they're giving SpaceX a run for their money 
. Let's see what next year brings... maybe another historic launch 
. I mean, sure, they've had some close calls in the past (who hasn't, right?), but this is a major milestone and I'm here for it