
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
Amid growing bipartisan scrutiny of Pete Hegseth, Trump says he 'wouldn't have wanted … a second strike' on alleged Venezuelan drug boat survivors - 2
A mom's viral post is raising the question: Do kids need snacks? Dietitians have answers. - 3
Bennu asteroid samples provide clues about solar system origins and 'space gum' - 4
Remain Cool and Solid: Top Summer Food sources for 2024 - 5
The Red Sea strategy: What does Israel stand to gain from recognizing Somaliland?
Top Pastry: What's Your Sweet Treat of Decision?
Health officials report 14 Legionnaires' disease cases in Florida, gym connection suspected
Productive CRM Programming for Client Relationship The executives
Germany's Bundestag extends two armed forces missions abroad
Wellness Bits of knowledge Readily available: A Survey of \Following Wellbeing and Progress\ Wellness Wearables
Israel says soldiers wounded in Gaza fighting amid fragile truce
Melodic Event: A Survey of \Energies and Exhibitions Assessed\ Live concert
37 Things Just Individuals Experiencing childhood during the 80s Will Comprehend
Accomplishing Balance between fun and serious activities: Procedures for a Better Life













