Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's private aerospace manufacturer, made history yesterday with its most ambitious launch to date, successfully deploying its New Glenn rocket into the sky.
The rocket, which is designed to carry out a variety of tasks including satellite launches and space tourism, lifted off from the company's West Texas test site at 9:51am local time. A 15-second test flight later, Blue Origin confirmed that all systems were go for the main launch attempt.
Bezos himself was on hand to witness the historic moment, donning a SpaceX-style spacesuit as part of his "Day One" mission, which marked the first crewed test of the New Glenn's upper stage. The billionaire entrepreneur tweeted "We did it!" after the successful liftoff.
The rocket soared 35 miles into the atmosphere before jettisoning its payload fairing and reaching an altitude of around 300 miles. It then successfully deployed a series of three small satellites, marking another major milestone for Blue Origin's ambitious space ambitions.
Meanwhile, Bezos himself is set to embark on his first suborbital spaceflight with his brother Mark and Wim Ouboter, the company's Vice President of Launch Operations. The test will take place later this year as part of the "Day One" mission.
The successful launch marks a major breakthrough for Blue Origin, which has been working towards establishing itself as a leading player in the rapidly growing space industry.
The rocket, which is designed to carry out a variety of tasks including satellite launches and space tourism, lifted off from the company's West Texas test site at 9:51am local time. A 15-second test flight later, Blue Origin confirmed that all systems were go for the main launch attempt.
Bezos himself was on hand to witness the historic moment, donning a SpaceX-style spacesuit as part of his "Day One" mission, which marked the first crewed test of the New Glenn's upper stage. The billionaire entrepreneur tweeted "We did it!" after the successful liftoff.
The rocket soared 35 miles into the atmosphere before jettisoning its payload fairing and reaching an altitude of around 300 miles. It then successfully deployed a series of three small satellites, marking another major milestone for Blue Origin's ambitious space ambitions.
Meanwhile, Bezos himself is set to embark on his first suborbital spaceflight with his brother Mark and Wim Ouboter, the company's Vice President of Launch Operations. The test will take place later this year as part of the "Day One" mission.
The successful launch marks a major breakthrough for Blue Origin, which has been working towards establishing itself as a leading player in the rapidly growing space industry.