
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
Why boosting production of Venezuela's 'very dense, very sloppy' oil could harm the environment - 2
Figure out How to Utilize Your Web based Advertising Degree to Break into the Tech Business - 3
Underestimated Metropolitan Experience Urban communities On the planet - 4
The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth orbit satellites - 5
Improving as a Pioneer: Examples from My Vocation
Exclusive new photos from 'Michael' biopic show Jaafar Jackson as King of Pop
US FDA grants market authorization to six on! PLUS nicotine pouch products
South America's Memorable Destinations: A Movement Guide
Online business Stages for Little Retailers
‘More should be done’: UN pushes Syrian regime on justice for Druze, Alawites and minority groups
The Ascent of the Kona SUV: How Hyundai's Reduced Hybrid Is Vanquishing the Streets
What do teens and tweens want for the holidays? E-bikes, gift cards and lip tints.
How did I get my own unique set of fingerprints?
Virtual National Science Foundation internships aren’t just a pandemic stopgap – they can open up opportunities for more STEM students













