The uncrewed New Glenn rocket took off at 2:03 a.m. EST from Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Blue Origin said.

Blue Origin's successful maiden launch of New Glenn rocket made billionaire Jeff Bezos hungry. He ate breakfast at a Space Coast diner in Florida after

New Glenn, a multistage rocket named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, is the first Blue Origin rocket to reach orbit. That puts the company, founded by former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in good position to join Elon Musk’s busy SpaceX brand as a major player in the cellular satellite industry and beyond.

Blue Origin is once again counting down to the first launch of its orbital-class New Glenn rocket, buoyed by a better weather forecast.

Blue Origin, company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, will launch massive New Glenn rocket. You can livestream coverage on iPhone, Android, YouTube.

Founded 25 years ago by Bezos, Blue Origin has been launching paying passengers to the edge of space since 2021, including himself. The short hops from Texas use smaller rockets named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard. New Glenn, which honors John Glenn, is five times taller.

If all goes to plan, shortly after launch, Blue Origin will attempt to land the first-stage booster on a drone ship named Jacklyn, in honor of Bezos' mother, stationed about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.

Loud cheers reverberated throughout the mission control room as the massive vehicle ascended to orbit leaving behind blue flames from its seven BE-4 engines. Blue Origin's billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, who stood right next to company CEO David Limp in the control room, shared several videos of the thrilling launch.

Named after the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida, soaring from the same pad used to launch NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft a half-century ago.

Eastern time on Jan. 16, 2025, a new rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. By reaching orbit, Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launch has marked a milestone for a commercial space company that has big ambitions.

The launch marked a major milestone for Blue Origin, which was started by Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos in 2000. While the company's New Shepard spacecraft has made multiple launches, sending space tourists to the edge of space, New Glenn takes Blue Origin into the new territory of orbital space missions.