On January 16, the company Blue Origin, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, made the first launch of its 100-meter launch vehicle “New Glenn”. That’s what happened is known from the company’s live broadcast on the X social network.
The rocket launched at nine in the morning Kyiv time from the Space Force base at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Previously, the launch was postponed several times due to various technical and organizational reasons. During this launch, the plan was to land the first stage of the rocket on a marine platform in the Atlantic Ocean 10 minutes after launch. At the same time, the second stage was supposed to continue the movement to orbit.
The launch was successful, as was the separation of the rocket stages. Although the first stage failed to land, the second stage went into orbit as planned. All required systems were working properly at startup. After the first stage booster had burned most of its fuel, a “main engine shutdown” was announced. Controllers confirmed that the rocket’s upper stage had reached orbit.
The successful launch of “New Glenn” is of great importance for the implementation of Blue Origin’s ambitious plans. This rocket could become a key element in launching national defense missions, launching satellites into orbit and helping build the space station that the company is developing with commercial partners.
