While we might be very familiar with SpaceX and Elon Musk's mission to the moon, but might be less familiar with another billionaire's plan to get a slice of the pie.
Jeff Bezos' is trying to beat Elon Musk to the moon, with the launch of his own rocket ship called the New Glenn. Just today, Bezos' rocket ship lifted off into the darkness from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and departed for a six-hour mission to take Blue Origin's Blue Ring into a medium-Earth orbit.
Blue Origin's First Attempt
Blue Ring is a platform designed to support and help satellites relocate in orbit. It also has the capability of refueling satellite sand host data and offering edge computing capability, according to blue origin.
While the maiden flight of New Glenn was a success, Blue Origitn's attempt to land the booster on a landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean failed.
Despite its disappointing result, Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin said that he is credibly proud of what New Glenn have achieved in its first attempt. He also added that the company will learn for its failures and try again at their next launch this spring.
Initially planned to launch on Monday, Blue Origin's maiden flight was originally scheduled to be on Monday. But it experienced several delays due to technical issues and poor weather.
After its successful launch, Elon Musk have also congratulated Bezos, tweeting
"Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt!"
Blue Origin, a competitor to SpaceX
The New Glenn rocket, which has been in development for more than a decade, becomes the third reusable rocket in the orbital space business after SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
The name New Glenn was inspired by John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth.
The rocket stands more than 320 feet tall and is powered by its BE-4 engines-each using liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas engine.
New Glenn is also taller than Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy but shorter than SpaceX's Starship and NASA's Space Launch System.