
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
New electric car registrations rise sharply in Germany in March - 2
Instructions to Construct an Organization While Chasing after a Web-based Degree - 3
Cuba says 33 have died of mosquito-borne illnesses as epidemic rages - 4
Born under fire: MDA delivers baby in Jerusalem minutes before rushing to shelter - 5
Reports: Germany plans expansion of foreign intelligence powers
Gauging the Upsides and downsides of Visas: A Complete Aide
Several Israelis attempt to cross into Gaza, escorted back to Israel by IDF
Understanding Successful Compromise Standards to Cultivate Agreeable Connections
Amid Iran war, 53 of Israel's future scientists showcase projects in Jerusalem contest
7 Powerful Techniques to Boost Efficiency with Your Cell Phone: A Far reaching Guide
Rediscovering Euphoria: Individual Accounts of Conquering Despondency
SpaceX rocket launches 140 satellites into orbit on Transporter-15, aces landing at sea (video)
France will build a new aircraft carrier as it increases defense spending
A Russian fighting for Ukraine conned the Kremlin out of $500,000 by faking his own death













