Blue Origin successfully landed its massive New Glenn rocket booster on a ship at sea Thursday, marking a significant milestone in reusable rocket technology. This achievement places Blue Origin alongside SpaceX as only the second company to master the complex process of recovering orbital-class rockets after launch.
New Glenn’s Second Flight
The New Glenn rocket launched from Florida’s Space Coast carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars probes. However, the mission’s success extended beyond payload delivery. The 188-foot-tall first stage booster returned to Earth and executed a controlled landing on Blue Origin’s drone ship, Jacklyn, positioned approximately 375 miles offshore.
A Pioneering Recovery
This marks only the second time a rocket of this scale has been recovered at sea. SpaceX has previously demonstrated this capability with its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, but Blue Origin’s achievement underscores the growing maturity of reusable rocket technology. The landing itself involved the booster maneuvering sideways toward the ship, rather than a direct vertical descent.
Controlled Risk and Future Improvements
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos explained the approach in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The company intentionally targets landings a few hundred feet from the ship to mitigate the risk of a catastrophic impact in case of engine failure. Bezos stated that this “conservatism” will be gradually reduced over time as the system proves its reliability.
“Never Tell Me The Odds”
The booster, nicknamed “Never Tell Me The Odds,” performed flawlessly on its second flight. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp highlighted the historic nature of the landing, emphasizing that this is only the beginning of a rapidly scaling flight cadence. The company’s motto, Gradatim Ferociter (“Step by Step, Ferociously”), reflects its commitment to incremental progress and relentless execution.
The successful recovery of New Glenn’s first stage is a critical step toward reducing launch costs and increasing the frequency of space access. By reusing hardware, Blue Origin aims to compete effectively in the growing commercial space market and further democratize access to orbit
