In a milestone for space exploration and commercial spaceflight, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. The historic maiden flight marked a significant step forward for the company, as it positions itself as a key player in the rapidly growing space industry.

At 2:03 a.m. EST, the 320-foot-tall New Glenn finally roared to life after two holds and was propelled by seven Blue Origin BE-4 engines fueled by liquid oxygen and methane.

Spectators crowded the beaches and riverfront to witness the spectacle, as the rocket ascended gracefully into a cloudy sky obscuring a nearly full moon.

After cheering wildly as New Glenn ascended Space Coast residents were pleased they witnessed another chapter in the area’s storied history of space exploration. “It’s inspiring to see this level of innovation happening here,” said Sandra Lyons, an engineer who watched the launch from the beach near Cherie Down Park in Cape Canaveral. “Every mission brings us closer to a future where space travel becomes routine,” she said. “It’s good that there are now several companies that can provide launch services for the country.”

After staging, the second stage — often a point of failure for debut flights — ignited as planned and continued the ascent of the rocket and payload. The second stage is in its final orbit following two successful burns of the BE-3U engines. The payload, Blue Origin’s Blue Ring Pathfinder is receiving data and performing well.

In its stated criteria for success, Blue Origin achieved a rare feat: a successful first flight that achieved its primary goal of reaching orbit. Unfortunately, the secondary goal of landing the New Glenn first stage was unsuccessful. Blue Origin has yet to state the reason(s) the first stage did not land at sea as the company had hoped, but undoubtedly, the company gathered data and will have lessons learned not only from the failure of the recovery of the booster but also the flight itself of the entire system.

Statements From Blue Origin’s Leadership

“I’m incredibly proud New Glenn achieved orbit on its first attempt,” said Dave Limp, CEO, Blue Origin. “We knew landing our booster, So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance, on the first try was an ambitious goal. We’ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring. Thank you to all of Team Blue for this incredible milestone.”  

“Today marks a new era for Blue Origin and for commercial space,” said Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn. “We’re focused on ramping our launch cadence and manufacturing rates. My heartfelt thanks to everyone at Blue Origin for the tremendous amount of work in making today’s success possible, and to our customers and the space community for their continuous support. We felt that immensely today.”