Overview
- New Glenn lifted off from Cape Canaveral on November 13 on the third attempt after earlier weather and solar-activity delays.
- The 57-meter first stage touched down upright on the droneship Jacklyn about nine minutes after liftoff, marking Blue Origin’s first recovered orbital booster and paving the way for refurbishment with a design rated for roughly 25 flights.
- NASA’s twin Escapade probes, built by Rocket Lab and nicknamed Blue and Gold, are heading to a Sun–Earth L2 staging orbit before using an Earth gravity assist to depart for Mars and begin science operations in 2027.
- The mission also deployed a Viasat satellite to demonstrate hardware for NASA’s Communications Services Project.
- The achievement advances Blue Origin’s heavy-lift ambitions alongside SpaceX’s established reuse record and supports plans to ready New Glenn for future missions, including lunar-related payloads as NASA refreshes elements of its Artemis lander procurement.