US billionaire Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched its massive New Glenn rocket from a launch pad in Florida carrying two NASA Mars Orbiters, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The powerful two-stage rocket, as tall as a 32-story building, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Live broadcasts showed the rocket rising into the clear sky amid flames and clouds of vapor, seconds after its seven BE-4 liquid-fueled engines fired. The launch followed a delay of several days due to heavy cloud cover and then a geomagnetic storm.
"New Glenn" accomplished a key engineering feat when the rocket's first stage's reusable booster separated from its upper stage minutes after launch and returned to Earth, splashing down safely on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
A cheer erupted at Blue Origin's Rocket Park control center in Cape Canaveral as video showed the booster landing. About 20 minutes later, control confirmed that "New Glenn"'s upper stage had accomplished its primary mission - delivering the pair of "ESCAPADE" spacecraft. (EscaPADE) NASA spacecraft into space for the start of their 22-month journey to Mars.