On January 16th, Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully achieved orbit on its highly anticipated maiden voyage. However, the company's attempt to recover the first stage was unsuccessful.

The launch, designated NG-1, commenced at 2:03 a.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The powerful rocket, propelled by seven BE-4 engines in its first stage, steadily ascended.

Stage separation occurred approximately three minutes after liftoff. The upper stage, ignited by two BE-3U engines, continued its ascent to orbit, while the first stage aimed for a landing on the Jacklyn, a Blue Origin recovery vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.

The second stage shut down as planned, achieving orbital velocity nearly 13 minutes after launch. Blue Origin highlighted that reaching orbit was the mission's primary goal.

The first stage initiated a reentry burn using three BE-4 engines, but telemetry on the live webcast displaying the stage's speed and altitude froze during its descent. Following the second stage's successful orbital insertion, Blue Origin confirmed the booster's loss without providing further details.

An earlier launch attempt on January 13th was scrubbed due to a “vehicle subsystem issue” involving ice formation in a purge line linked to an auxiliary power unit. A subsequent attempt was also canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

The NG-1 mission carried the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload, which includes communications equipment for Blue Origin's Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle. “Data from the mission will support future production, launch vehicle integration, and on-orbit operations of the Blue Ring space vehicle,” Blue Origin stated. The mission’s duration in its planned elliptical medium Earth orbit was expected to be under six hours.

“For this first launch, I have two primary objectives: get to orbit and land the booster,” stated Jarrett Jones, senior vice president for New Glenn at Blue Origin, highlighting the importance of recovery. “Our objective is to reach orbit,” added Dave Limp, chief executive of Blue Origin. “Anything beyond that is a bonus.”