Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company just notched its biggest win yet. The company’s New Glenn rocket successfully launched two NASA satellites bound for Mars from Florida on its debut mission for paying customers. The company also achieved its first booster landing for its rocket. The mission marks a breakthrough moment for Jeff Bezos’s space company as he pushes to challenge Elon Musk’s hold on the space market.
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In context, NASA is sending two small satellites to Mars to test new technology that could improve communication, navigation, and research around the Red Planet. Meanwhile, these NASA satellites were carried to space by Blue Origin’s powerful New Glenn rocket.
Blue Origin’s Big Milestone
On Thursday, the New Glenn rocket sent NASA’s ESCAPADE twin spacecraft into its planned orbit. In a major milestone, the company also landed the booster of its largest rocket for the first time, touching down on the recovery ship Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. This comes after its failed attempt in January, when New Glenn’s first test flight successfully sent a prototype satellite to orbit, but the booster failed to land on its floating platform in the Atlantic.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp called it a major achievement, noting that no booster of this size has ever landed successfully on its second attempt. He added that this is just the beginning as the company scales up its launch pace and continues delivering for customers.
Moving ahead, the ESCAPADE spacecraft will head toward Mars in fall 2026, once the planets line up for the most efficient travel window. The two identical probes will study how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic field and how this process causes the planet to lose parts of its atmosphere.
Blue Origin Lags Behind SpaceX
Despite the latest win, Blue Origin still trails Musk’s SpaceX in the race to become a major commercial launch provider. The company has won several multibillion-dollar contracts from Amazon and the U.S. government, but keeping those deals depends on New Glenn launching regularly and reliably.
While New Glenn has successfully landed its booster only once, SpaceX has achieved it over 500 times. SpaceX takes a daring approach to launches, completing 11 test flights with a mix of successes and failures. The 11th flight, completed last month, marked a major milestone in testing its reusable rocket design.
Which Space Stock Is a Better Buy, According to Analysts?
Space stocks can give investors big opportunities but also come with high risks. The industry is growing quickly with satellites, reusable rockets, and government contracts. However, many companies are still new, so delays, failures, and regulatory changes can affect stock prices.
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