New Glenn is the first orbital rocket developed by Blue Origin, which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos. The two-stage heavy lifter had just one flight under its belt before Thursday — a test mission that lifted off in January 2025, sending a prototype version of Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft platform to orbit.

The Blue Origin space venture of billionaire Jeff Bezos launched its giant New Glenn rocket from Florida on Thursday on its debut flight for paying customers, carrying two satellites on their way to M...