Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully reached orbit during its inaugural flight on Thursday, January 16th, marking a significant milestone for the aerospace company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos. Despite a failed first-stage booster recovery, the mission achieved its primary objective of reaching orbit.

Standing 98 meters tall, New Glenn is the largest rocket Blue Origin has built, powered by seven BE-4 engines in its first stage and two BE-3U engines in its second stage. The rocket aims to rival Elon Musk's SpaceX and its massive Starship rocket.

The launch took place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 36, with the rocket ascending steadily before stage separation approximately three minutes into the flight. While the second stage continued its journey to orbit, the first stage attempted to land on the drone ship 'Jacklyn' in the Atlantic Ocean.

The second stage successfully completed its mission about 13 minutes after liftoff, achieving orbit by reaching the necessary speed and altitude to circle Earth. This accomplishment marks a significant step forward for Blue Origin's ambitions in the commercial space industry.

The mission, designated NG-1, had two primary objectives: achieving orbital insertion and recovering the first stage. Although the booster managed to ignite three engines for the landing maneuver, communication was lost, resulting in an unsuccessful controlled descent.

New Glenn, an orbital launch vehicle, has been under development since Blue Origin officially announced the project in 2015. Originally slated for an inaugural launch in 2020, the project faced multiple delays before finally taking flight in 2025.