Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket nails its 1st launch—and landing
Blue Origin just pulled off a big one: its New Glenn rocket launched on its second flight on November 13, 2025, from Cape Canaveral.
Not only did it send NASA's twin ESCAPADE probes toward Mars, but it also made Blue Origin only the second company (after SpaceX) to land an orbital-class booster.
The booster sticks the landing
After liftoff, New Glenn's first-stage booster touched down safely on Jacklyn, a recovery ship floating about 604km out in the Atlantic.
This reusable-rocket move is a huge step for Blue Origin—reusing boosters could make future space missions cheaper and more frequent.
What makes New Glenn special?
New Glenn packs some serious power with seven methane-fueled BE-4 engines and can haul up to 45 metric tons into low Earth orbit.
Designed to fly at least 25 times, its booster lands itself using six sturdy legs on a moving platform at sea.
What's ESCAPADE all about?
The two ESCAPADE satellites will cruise for about 22 months before studying how solar wind strips away Mars's atmosphere.
It's NASA's first Mars mission in over five years and comes with a surprisingly modest price tag—$107.4 million.