Blue Origin rocket launches and latest news

Blue Origin is a private spaceflight company based in Kent, Washington that is working to send tourists to space on its reusable suborbital rocket called New Shepard. The company was created in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com. 

In 2015, Blue Origin made history by successfully launching and landing a reusable rocket for the first time. The company is currently developing a lunar lander called Blue Moon that will make robotic cargo deliveries to the lunar surface, and it is partnering with SpaceX and Dynetics to develop a human-rated moon lander that will carry astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024 under NASA's Artemis Program.

See the latest Blue Origin images, videos and other space news here.

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Latest about Blue Origin

a white rocket launches into a blue sky

Blue Origin targeting Nov. 22 for next space tourism launch

By Mike Wall published

Blue Origin is targeting Friday (Nov. 28) for its NS-28 tourism mission, which will take "Space Gal" Emily Calandrelli and five other people to suborbital space.

Private Spaceflight
headshots of six smiling people — two women and four men

Next Blue Origin space tourism flight will launch 'Space Gal' Emily Calandrelli

By Mike Wall published

Blue Origin has announced the six crewmembers for NS-28, its next suborbital space tourism mission. Among them are 'Space Gal' Emily Calandrelli and two repeat customers.

Private Spaceflight
illustration of a white rocket high in earth's atmosphere

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to launch AST SpaceMobile's huge BlueBird smartphone satellites

By Andrew Jones published

AST SpaceMobile, a startup with plans for a direct-to-cellphone satellite service constellation, has chosen Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket to launch some of its next-gen satellites.

Launches & Spacecraft
a huge white rocket sits on its side in a hangar

Blue Origin stacks huge New Glenn rocket ahead of 1st launch (photo)

By Brett Tingley published

Blue Origin showed off its New Glenn rocket after its two stages were mated in the company's Florida facility. The new rocket could take off on its maiden flight as soon as November.

Private Spaceflight
China and the U.S. both have big plans for the Moon, but there are a number of reasons why no country could actually claim ownership of any land there.

The US is now at risk of losing to China in the race to send people back to the Moon’s surface

By Jacco van Loon published

In all, 12 Americans landed on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. Now, both the US and China are preparing to send humans back there this decade.

Human Spaceflight
European Space Agency reserve astronaut John McFall takes part in a parabolic flight on April 6, 2023 sponsored by the agency and Novespace, in Bordeaux, France. McFall is the first reserve astronaut with a disability.

Recruiting the world’s first disabled astronaut doesn't mean space travel is inclusive – here’s how to change that

By Sean Cullen, Ezgi Merdin Uygur, Vanja Garaj published

How can space agencies and “space tourism” companies make spaceflight more inclusive for disabled astronauts?

Human Spaceflight
illustration of a blue and white space capsule against a blue background

Chinese company Deep Blue Aerospace plans to start launching space tourists in 2027

By Mike Wall published

Chinese company Deep Blue Aerospace plans to start launching customers to suborbital space and back in 2027, for a price of about $210,000 per seat.

Human Spaceflight
at left, a photo of a white rocket launching into a blue sky; at right, a closeup of a black monolith with the words "2001: a space odyssey" and a picture of a saturn-like planet on it

Mini '2001' monoliths fly into space on first flight of Blue Origin's 2nd crew ship

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

A number of black slabs modeled after the monoliths in "2001: A Space Odyssey" have made the trip into space and back on the first flight of Blue Origin's second human-rated launch vehicle.

Private Spaceflight
a white-and-blue rocket launches under a blue sky

Blue Origin launches 2nd human-rated New Shepard rocket, nails landing (video)

By Mike Wall last updated

Blue Origin launched its second human-rated New Shepard vehicle on an uncrewed flight Wednesday morning (Oct. 23) and nailed the landing of both crew capsule and rocket.

Human Spaceflight
a white space capsule sits in a large museum hall, surrounded by other space artifacts

Blue Origin donates New Shepard rocket and crew capsule to Smithsonian

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos once pledged that if his company's first rocket to reach space and land vertically back on Earth survived, he would put it in a museum. He has made good on his word.

Private Spaceflight
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