
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
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah continue to trade attacks - 2
Black Friday streaming deals 2025: Grab the Disney+ Hulu bundle for only $5 and save over 60% - 3
How to watch NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts launch to the moon on April 1 - 4
Affordable Care Act enrollment is slightly ahead of last year, despite expiring subsidies - 5
Is Chinese food truly flavorful?
Instructions to Decide the Best SUV Size for Seniors
Vote In favor of Your #1 Compelling Female Producer
IDF, police arrest eleven for criminal, terror-related activity over weekend
Washington state experiences historic flooding as Skagit River hits record high level. See flooding maps, highway closures and forecasts.
The most effective method to Look at Medical caretaker Compensations Across Various Clinics
New movies to watch this weekend: See 'We Bury the Dead' in theaters, rent 'Wicked: For Good,' stream 'The Unbreakable Boy' on Starz
Vote in favor of your Favored kind of pasta
Artemis will take Americans to the moon for the 1st time since 1972. Why has it been so hard to go back?
How to Build a Yard That Helps Monarchs During Spring Migration













