WATCH: Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launches from Florida’s Space Coast

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Blue Origin said it successfully launched its New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Thursday.

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The 3-hour window opened at 1 a.m. and the rocket lifted off at 2:03 a.m.

Blue Origin scrubbed a launch on Monday, saying that ice formed on a power unit.

The New Glenn is roughly 320 feet tall and designed to carry satellites into space.

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The rocket is considered among the most powerful in the world; it can be categorized as a heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Blue Origin said the key objective was to reach orbit safely, a task that was met.

The company was unable to land the first-stage booster in the Atlantic, but teams knew that was an ambitious goal.

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“This is our first flight, and we’ve prepared rigorously for it,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”

Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said the New Glenn rocket will ultimately be used to carry Amazon’s Kuiper satellites into orbit, allowing them to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

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Channel 9 was on the Space Coast as the launch lit up the sky and awed spectators Thursday morning.

Be sure to watch Eyewitness News beginning at 4:30 a.m. for post-launch coverage of the New Glenn Mission.

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