Bezos Launches Rocket To Challenge Musk's Space Dominance

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, launched its first rocket into orbit, marking a direct challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Georgina Rannard reported for BBC News.

Despite technical hurdles earlier in the week, including a delay caused by ice formation, the 98-meter-high rocket successfully reached orbit. I Photo: Blue Origin Facebook

The New Glenn rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:02 a.m. local time (7:02 a.m. GMT), firmly positioning Bezos and Musk in a heated commercial space race. Both billionaires aim to deploy more satellites, develop private space stations, and facilitate regular trips to the Moon.

“Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt!” Musk wrote to Bezos in a post on X.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp expressed pride in the achievement, stating, “We’ll learn a lot from today and prepare for our next launch this spring.”

Despite technical hurdles earlier in the week, including a delay caused by ice formation, the 98-meter-high rocket successfully reached orbit. Crowds near Cape Canaveral cheered as the launch demonstrated Blue Origin's potential to rival SpaceX.