The launch of a new Glenn rocket will challenge Elon Musk’s dominance in space

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space company has blasted its first rocket into orbit to challenge Elon Musk’s dominance of SpaceX.

The New Glenn rocket launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 02:02 local time (07:02 GMT).

The world’s two richest men are pitted against each other in the commercial space race to fly bigger and more powerful rockets.

Both seek to fill the skies with more satellites, operate private space stations, and transport humans for regular trips to the moon.

“Congratulations on reaching orbit on your first attempt!” Musk wrote in a post to Bezos on X.

“I’m incredibly proud,” said Dave Limp, CEO of Bezos’ space company Blue Origin.

“We’ll learn a lot from today and try again next spring,” he added.

Bezos’ team overcame technical hurdles that caused delays earlier this week when snowmaking stopped.

Blue Origin crews and the crowd at Cape Canaveral cheered as the 98-meter-tall rocket blasted into orbit.

But the company failed to land New Glenn’s main rocket engine or booster on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

It was hoped the booster could be reused for future launches, but after 20 minutes of flight, the company confirmed it had lost its engine.

Bezos’ company, Blue Origin, has struggled to match the pace set by SpaceX. But this launch is seen as a big step for the business.

The New Glenn rocket was named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth 60 years ago.

The rocket is more powerful than the Falcon 9 rocket used by SpaceX. It can also carry multiple satellites, which Bezos wants to use as part of Project Kuiper. Services.

That project will compete directly with Musk’s Starlink service.

Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin 25 years ago, saying he wanted “millions of people working and living in space.”

Over the years, the venture has sent a small, reusable rocket called New Shepard to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. In the year By 2021, she was carrying passengers and cargo, including Bezos.

But Blue Origin outperformed SpaceX, which launched 134 rockets last year, dramatically.

And SpaceX’s newest generation of rockets, the Starship, is even more powerful. The company hopes to make its seventh test flight today.

Some experts say a successful New Glenn rocket could create real competition between the two companies and reduce the costs of space operations.

Dr Simon Barber at the Open University in the UK said: “What you’re seeing is these two companies fighting each other to make more progress.”

Governments spend billions building rockets and sending missions into space.

But the U.S. space agency, NASA, has moved away from relying solely on public funds and has awarded huge contracts to private companies to provide rockets and other space services.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has already received billions of dollars worth of space deals.

His close relationship with the next US President, Donald Trump, could further strengthen his company.