Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket nails 2nd test flight
Blue Origin's New Glenn just pulled off its second test flight on November 13, 2025—successfully sending NASA's ESCAPADE Mars probes into space and landing its reusable booster on a barge.
This win puts New Glenn firmly in the heavy-lift rocket game.
What makes New Glenn stand out?
This two-stage rocket can haul significant payloads to low Earth orbit and geostationary transfer orbit.
Its powerful engines give it serious lift and reusability points.
What's next for New Glenn?
The launch calendar is packed: January brings the Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander mission (with NASA cameras onboard), while launches for Firefly's Elytra spacecraft, Xtenti's satellite dispenser, and Amazon's Leo broadband satellites are scheduled for later in 2026.
Why does it matter?
Blue Origin is chasing national security certification for New Glenn and has already landed contracts for seven military launches starting in 2026.
With its reusable design and big payload capacity, it's shaping up as real competition for rockets like Vulcan Centaur and Falcon Heavy.