Blue Origin caps second heavy-lift launch with first offshore landing

In a groundbreaking achievement, Blue Origin, the rocket company established by billionaire Jeff Bezos, successfully executed a remarkable offshore landing of its New Glenn rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. This historic event unfolded on Thursday, just nine minutes after the 18-story rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, at 3:55 PM EST (20:55 UTC). The launch had faced delays due to adverse weather conditions and a solar storm that posed potential radiation hazards to Earth earlier in the week. "Today, we achieved full mission success, and I couldn't be prouder of our team," said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin. He noted that the rocket, affectionately nicknamed 'Never Tell Me The Odds,' delivered an unparalleled performance, marking the first time a booster of this size successfully completed a landing on a second attempt. Carrying two NASA science probes destined for Mars, this launch signifies a pivotal moment for Blue Origin, as it was the first occasion that operational satellites were deployed using the New Glenn rocket, named in honor of the late NASA astronaut John Glenn. The ascent into space was flawless, with the rocket firing its seven BE-4 main engines for nearly three minutes, generating over 3.8 million pounds of thrust using super-cooled liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen. Following engine shutdown, the first stage booster detached, allowing the second stage, powered by dual hydrogen-fueled BE-3U engines, to continue its journey into orbit.