Competition for Musk

Jeff Bezos’ “New Glenn” rocket lifted off in Florida

The launch vehicle was to land on a ship in the Atlantic during the test flight.

(Bild: AFP )

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin has tested its new, powerful "New Glenn" rocket for the first time. The rocket, which is around 100 meters high and named after the US astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016), lifted off from Cape Canaveral Spaceport in the US state of Florida early on Thursday.

"This is our first flight and we have prepared thoroughly for it," Blue Origin announced shortly before the launch on Platform X. "But no amount of ground tests or mission simulations can replace a flight with this rocket." The most important goal of the test launch was to reach orbit safely. "Anything beyond that is the cherry on the cake," it said.

Wanting to land the rocket on the Atlantic on the first attempt is ambitious - "but we will try". "No matter what happens, we will learn from it, refine it and apply the knowledge gained to our next launch." 

The test flight had previously been postponed several times due to unfavorable conditions and a technical problem.

(Bild: AFP )

(Bild: AP)

(Bild: AFP )

According to the company, the first stage of "New Glenn" is designed for at least 25 flights. This will lead to significantly less waste and costs. SpaceX also relies on reusable rocket parts. In other rockets, such as the European Ariane 6 launcher, the engines simply fall into the sea.

Competition for SpaceX
In the future, Blue Origin wants to compete with SpaceX, which currently dominates commercial space travel. The space company owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk has been flying for the US space agency NASA and other clients for years, particularly with its Falcon Heavy rocket. The Falcon Heavy can transport around 64 tons of material.