"The rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 3:55 P.M. EST loaded up with NASA's ESCAPADE mission to study how space weather impacts Mars. Somewhat ironically, space weather was also the cause of the mission's latest delays, as a severe solar storm on Wednesday made conditions in Earth orbit too risky to attempt a planned launch. The rocket's reusable first stage, dubbed Never Tell Me the Odds, touched back down minutes later on a Blue Origin drone ship a first for the company."
"New Glenn's flight represented a test for Blue Origin, which has long sought to compete with SpaceX's fully reusable rockets, which dominate the global launch market. During New Glenn's inaugural flight in January this year, the company failed to land the first stage on their oceanic barge. After today's successful landing, Blue Origin is much better positioned to win lucrative launch contracts including some that have recently been put back on the table for NASA's upcoming moon missions that had originally gone to SpaceX."
Blue Origin launched and partially landed its New Glenn rocket, carrying NASA's ESCAPADE mission to study how space weather affects Mars. A severe solar storm delayed the planned launch by making Earth orbit conditions risky. The rocket's reusable first stage, named Never Tell Me the Odds, returned to and touched down on a Blue Origin drone ship, marking a first for the company. New Glenn's successful landing contrasts with a failed barge recovery during its January inaugural flight. The success improves Blue Origin's prospects for winning lucrative NASA and other government launch contracts amid SpaceX and Starship development dynamics.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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