Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, successfully launched its first New Glenn rocket into orbit, positioning itself as a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the commercial space race. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 02:02 local time (07:02 GMT), marking a significant milestone for the company.
The launch pits Bezos and Musk, the world’s two wealthiest men, against each other as they strive to develop larger and more powerful rockets. Both companies aim to dominate the future of space travel, satellite deployment, and private space stations, with an eye on transporting people to the Moon.
“Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt!” Musk wrote in a post to Bezos on X. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp expressed his pride, adding, “We’ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring.”
Despite earlier technical setbacks, including ice formation delaying the launch, Blue Origin’s team celebrated the rocket’s successful orbit. However, the company was unable to recover the main engine or booster, which failed to land on the platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The loss of the engine, though disappointing, does not overshadow the significance of the launch.
Named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket is more powerful than SpaceX’s Falcon 9. It can carry a greater payload of satellites, and Bezos intends to use it for his Project Kuiper, aimed at deploying thousands of low-Earth satellites to provide broadband services. This would directly compete with Musk’s Starlink service.
Bezos founded Blue Origin 25 years ago with the vision of “millions of people working and living in space.” While Blue Origin has made progress with its smaller New Shepard rocket, which has carried payloads and passengers, including Bezos himself in 2021, SpaceX has far outpaced it in terms of launch frequency, with 134 rocket launches in 2024 alone.
SpaceX’s new Starship rocket, which is even more powerful, is set for its seventh test flight later today. Experts suggest that Blue Origin’s successful New Glenn launch could foster real competition between the two companies, potentially driving down the cost of space operations.
Dr. Simeon Barber, a space expert at the Open University, predicts, “What you are going to see are these two companies challenge each other to make even greater strides.”
As private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin increasingly take on roles historically held by government agencies, NASA has shifted towards awarding lucrative contracts to private space companies. SpaceX has already secured billions in government contracts, and its close ties with U.S. leadership could further solidify its market dominance.
