""We achieved full mission success today, and I am so proud of the team," said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin. "It turns out Never Tell Me The Odds (Blue Origin's nickname for the first stage) had perfect odds-never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try. This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers.""
"The two-stage launcher set off for space carrying two NASA science probes on a two-year journey to Mars, marking the first time any operational satellites flew on Blue Origin's new rocket, named for the late NASA astronaut John Glenn. The New Glenn hit its marks on the climb into space, firing seven BE-4 main engines for nearly three minutes on a smooth ascent through blue skies over Florida's Space Coast."
Blue Origin launched the New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, at 3:55 pm EST after delays for poor weather and a solar storm. The two-stage launcher carried two NASA science probes on a two-year journey to Mars, marking the first time operational satellites flew on New Glenn. The first stage fired seven BE-4 main engines for nearly three minutes, burning liquified natural gas and liquid oxygen and producing more than 3.8 million pounds of thrust. After stage separation, dual hydrogen-fueled BE-3U engines propelled the second stage toward orbit. The booster reached about 79 miles altitude, conducted a controlled plunge back through the atmosphere, and achieved a precise landing on an offshore recovery vessel on its second flight.
Read at Ars Technica
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