
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket had a very big day on Thursday (Nov. 13), and a new video lets us all relive part of it.
New Glenn launched for the second time ever on Thursday afternoon, successfully sending NASA's twin ESCAPADE Mars probes into the final frontier from Florida's Space Coast.
But that wasn't all. The two-stage rocket's huge first stage came back to Earth as planned, acing a landing on "Jacklyn," Blue Origin's drone ship, which was stationed about 375 miles (604 kilometers) offshore.
Previously, only one company had ever pulled off this dramatic maneuver — SpaceX, which has pioneered the recovery and reuse of orbital rockets.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos celebrated the New Glenn landing on X, posting several videos of the 188-foot-tall (57 meters) booster steering its way through the sky toward Jacklyn.
One video showed the landing itself, during which the booster sidled over to Jacklyn rather than drop directly onto it from above.
"We nominally target a few hundred feet away from Jacklyn to avoid a severe impact if engines fail to start or start slowly," Bezos wrote in the Friday morning (Nov. 14) X post that featured this video. "We’ll incrementally reduce that conservatism over time. We are all excited and grateful for yesterday. Amazing performance by the team! Gradatim Ferociter."
(Gradatim Ferociter, Latin for "Step by Step, Ferociously," is Blue Origin's motto.)
Blue Origin named the first stage that flew on Thursday "Never Tell Me the Odds," a nod to the perceived improbability of a successful touchdown.
"It turns out 'Never Tell Me The Odds' had perfect odds — never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a company statement. "This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers."
Each New Glenn first stage is designed to fly at least 25 times, according to Blue Origin. "Never Tell Me the Odds" looks intact — startlingly clean, in fact — in post-landing photos, so don't be surprised to see the booster on the pad again before too much longer.
latest_posts
- 1
Manual for 6 Busssiness Class Flights - 2
Your kid wants it now. What saying yes, no or not yet teaches kids about money and instant gratification. - 3
Full SNAP benefits must be paid ‘promptly,’ USDA tells states as government reopens - 4
The Main 15 Applications for Efficiency and Association - 5
Hundreds of kilos of protected plant seized by Israel Nature and Parks Authority in Golan
Federal judge upholds Hawaii's new climate change tax on cruise passengers
Instructions to Floss Appropriately and Forestall Gum Sickness
Figure out How to Involve a Brain science Certification in Showcasing
The 3 little words TV fans can't stop obsessing over
Ferrari Cavalcade Suspended After High-Speed Crash in Argentina Involving a Purosangue
Astronaut on ISS captures spectacular orbital video of zodiacal light, auroras and the Pleiades
4 injured in shooting at North Carolina tree lighting ceremony
Taylor Swift just released the 'Elizabeth Taylor' music video — but she's not the star of it
See the first close-up photos of the moon from NASA's Artemis II mission













