
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket had a very big day on Thursday (Nov. 13), and a new video lets us all relive part of it.
New Glenn launched for the second time ever on Thursday afternoon, successfully sending NASA's twin ESCAPADE Mars probes into the final frontier from Florida's Space Coast.
But that wasn't all. The two-stage rocket's huge first stage came back to Earth as planned, acing a landing on "Jacklyn," Blue Origin's drone ship, which was stationed about 375 miles (604 kilometers) offshore.
Previously, only one company had ever pulled off this dramatic maneuver — SpaceX, which has pioneered the recovery and reuse of orbital rockets.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos celebrated the New Glenn landing on X, posting several videos of the 188-foot-tall (57 meters) booster steering its way through the sky toward Jacklyn.
One video showed the landing itself, during which the booster sidled over to Jacklyn rather than drop directly onto it from above.
"We nominally target a few hundred feet away from Jacklyn to avoid a severe impact if engines fail to start or start slowly," Bezos wrote in the Friday morning (Nov. 14) X post that featured this video. "We’ll incrementally reduce that conservatism over time. We are all excited and grateful for yesterday. Amazing performance by the team! Gradatim Ferociter."
(Gradatim Ferociter, Latin for "Step by Step, Ferociously," is Blue Origin's motto.)
Blue Origin named the first stage that flew on Thursday "Never Tell Me the Odds," a nod to the perceived improbability of a successful touchdown.
"It turns out 'Never Tell Me The Odds' had perfect odds — never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a company statement. "This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers."
Each New Glenn first stage is designed to fly at least 25 times, according to Blue Origin. "Never Tell Me the Odds" looks intact — startlingly clean, in fact — in post-landing photos, so don't be surprised to see the booster on the pad again before too much longer.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign and Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance were among the 10 biggest pop-culture moments of 2025 - 2
Churches and politicians in South Sudan call for 'lasting peace' in Easter messages - 3
Chevron Says Damage at Wheatstone LNG Will Hamper Restart - 4
Europe’s Airlines Run Low on Fuel - 5
IDF drops over 80 explosives on Tehran weapon production sites in latest strike
ByHeart baby formula from all lots may be contaminated with botulism bacteria, tests show
Farewell, comet 3I/ATLAS! Interstellar visitor heads for the outer solar system after its closest approach to Earth
He suddenly couldn't speak in space. NASA astronaut says his medical scare remains a mystery
Palestinian infant freezes to death in Gaza as Israel keeps blocking aid
The most effective method to Make a Dazzling Site in 5 Basic Advances
Radiate brilliantly: The 5 Precious stone Rings to Purchase in 2024
Benihana is 60 years old. Gen Z is lining up.
IDF begins destroying homes used by Hezbollah as forces move deeper into southern Lebanon
What will happen if Artemis 2 astronauts get hit by a solar storm during NASA's ambitious moon mission?











