Jeff Bezos’s giant New Glenn rocket has blasted off into space just days after the launch was scrapped at the last minute.
The 30-storey tall Blue Origin rocket launched into earth’s orbit at around 7am GMT from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday.
The private space company hopes to offer launches of the kind provided by competitor Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has pioneered reusable rocket technology.
Its first attempt to launch on Monday was scrubbed around 3am ET (8am GMT) because ice had accumulated on a propellant line.
The mission will include an attempt to land New Glenn’s first stage booster on a sea-fairing barge in the Atlantic Ocean 10 minutes after liftoff.
Secured inside New Glenn’s payload bay is the first prototype of Blue Origin‘s Blue Ring vehicle, a maneuverable spacecraft the company plans to sell to the Pentagon.
Hundreds of employeesgathered for the launch at Blue Origin‘s Kent, Washington headquarters and its Cape Canaveral, Florida rocket factory, a company live stream showed.
Residents of Florida’s east coast also cheered from parks and camp sites several miles from the launchpad upon liftoff.
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