Jeff Bezos launches rocket into space as Amazon owner challenges Elon Musk's space dominance
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GB News
Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin has successfully launched its massive New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time, marking a significant challenge to Elon Musk's dominance in the commercial space industry.
The 320-foot rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2.03am EST (7.03am GMT) on Thursday, achieving orbit just 13 minutes later.
The launch represents a crucial milestone for Amazon founder Bezos's space venture, which he established 25 years ago with the goal of reducing the cost of access to space.
It came after several delays, including a scrubbed attempt on Monday due to ice accumulation on a propellant line and earlier postponements caused by rough seas.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket lifts off from pad 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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Inside New Glenn's payload bay was the first prototype of Blue Origin's Blue Ring vehicle, a manoeuvrable spacecraft the company plans to sell to the Pentagon.
Hundreds of employees gathered at Blue Origin's headquarters in Kent, Washington, and its Cape Canaveral rocket factory to witness the historic moment. Residents of Florida's east coast cheered from parks and camp sites several miles from the launchpad as the rocket soared skyward.
While the rocket successfully reached orbit, Blue Origin failed to achieve its secondary goal of landing the first-stage booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
Prior to the launch, Bezos had acknowledged the ambitious nature of the landing attempt, stating it was "a little crazy" to even try landing the booster on the first try.
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The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lits off at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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"What a fantastic day," Blue Origin's launch commentator Ariane Cornell said after the successful orbital insertion.
Company CEO Dave Limp celebrated the achievement on social media platform X, declaring: "We did it! Orbital."
The mission was expected to last six hours, with the prototype satellite being placed in a high orbit in accordance with NASA's space debris minimisation practices.
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, congratulated Bezos on social media platform X after New Glenn successfully reached orbit.
Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon
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The launch follows recent SpaceX activities, including a delayed Starship flight test and the successful launch of two private lunar landers to the moon on Wednesday.
The New Glenn rocket, named after the first American to orbit Earth, is five times taller than Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket used for tourist flights. Blue Origin envisions six to eight New Glenn flights this year if everything goes well, with the next launch planned for spring.
Bezos emphasised he does not view Blue Origin in competition with SpaceX.
"There's room for lots of winners," he said from the rocket factory over the weekend.
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