Bezos' Blue Origin Gets FAA License For First New Glenn Rocket Launch

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that it has issued a commercial space launch license for Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

The five-year license allows Blue Origin to conduct orbital missions from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. I Photo: Blue Origin X

Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' rocket company, is preparing for its first launch, Rishi Kant reported for Reuters.

Blue Origin has entered a highly competitive field it has long sought to join. The U.S. Department of Defense selected the company, along with Elon Musk's SpaceX and the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA), to compete for national security space missions.

The Pentagon made initial selections under a $5.6 billion program in June.

The five-year license allows Blue Origin to conduct orbital missions from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The reusable New Glenn first stage will land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean, the FAA stated.

The debut New Glenn launch will be a certification mission required by the U.S. Space Force before the company can begin launching national security satellites.