Lead: On Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, Blue Origin successfully landed the booster of its New Glenn mega-rocket on a drone ship in the Atlantic and, about 34 minutes after liftoff, deployed twin NASA spacecraft bound for Mars. The launch from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36 lifted off at roughly 3:55 p.m. ET and marked only the rocket’s second flight, following an inaugural January launch that ended with a booster loss. The double milestone—booster recovery and payload delivery—advances Blue Origin’s bid to field a reusable heavy-lift option for commercial and government customers.
Key Takeaways
- Launch date and time: New Glenn lifted off from LC-36 at about 3:55 p.m. ET on Nov. 13, 2025, with crewless flight operations.
- Booster recovery: The 189-foot booster descended back to Earth and touched down on a drone ship in the Atlantic approximately 10 minutes after liftoff.
- Payload deployment: The upper stage released two NASA spacecraft about 34 minutes after takeoff; both are intended to study Mars’ atmosphere.
- Second flight milestone: This was New Glenn’s second launch; its first flight, in January 2025, ended with a booster failure prior to landing.
- Regulatory fixes: Blue Origin worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to identify and implement corrections after the January flight.
- Competition context: SpaceX publicly reacted to the success, underscoring the significance for market competition in reusable heavy lift.
- Next steps: Blue Origin must now demonstrate booster refurbishment and reflights to convert the landing into sustained cost savings for customers.
Background
The drive to recover and reuse first-stage boosters reshaped the launch industry after SpaceX demonstrated a routine, cost-cutting model with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. Blue Origin’s New Glenn is designed as a large, partially reusable vehicle intended to carry heavier commercial payloads, government satellites, and elements for lunar missions. Reusability is core to economics: recovering a booster can reduce per-launch cost if refurbishment and reuse become reliable.
Blue Origin’s first New Glenn launch in January 2025 ended with the booster exploding before a landing attempt; investigators and the Federal Aviation Administration worked with the company to identify fixes. The second flight was postponed multiple times—affected by hardware checks, weather, and geomagnetic activity—before clearing conditions for Thursday’s lift-off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Main Event
The rocket ascended from Launch Complex 36 and climbed through dense atmosphere before the second stage separated at about four minutes into flight. After separation, the first-stage booster executed a powered return and guided descent to a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic. Roughly 10 minutes after liftoff the booster touched down, marking a controlled recovery on the second attempt.
Following booster staging, New Glenn’s upper stage continued to orbit, conducting a planned burn sequence and deploying two NASA spacecraft approximately 34 minutes after takeoff. NASA confirmed the twin craft separated nominally and began their interplanetary trajectories toward Mars to study its atmospheric properties.
Blue Origin had delayed the second launch several times; the company rolled the vehicle to the pad on Sunday ahead of the final schedule slip to Thursday due to adverse weather and solar storm concerns. Engineers monitored telemetry and range safety before authorizing ascent, and flight controllers reported clean stage separations and nominal engine performance for the upper stage.
Analysis & Implications
The successful landing and payload deployment address two of Blue Origin’s most urgent technical objectives: controlled first-stage recovery and reliable upper-stage insertion for deep-space payloads. If Blue Origin converts this landing into a demonstrable refurbishment and reflight program, New Glenn could become an alternative to existing heavy-lift services for large commercial and government customers.
That said, one recovery does not equal operational reuse. Space operators and insurers will expect documented procedures for inspection, refurbishment timelines, and evidence of performance across multiple cycles before pricing models shift. Blue Origin’s next critical step is transparent, repeatable reflights that verify cost and cadence improvements.
Strategically, New Glenn’s success increases competitive pressure on incumbent and emerging launch providers. SpaceX retains a dominant position with Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and the developing Starship system, but New Glenn adds capacity and a second source for large payloads and lunar logistics. For NASA and other agencies planning sustained lunar activity, more capable suppliers can influence scheduling, contingency planning, and contract negotiations.
Comparison & Data
| Event milestone | Elapsed time |
|---|---|
| Second-stage separation | ~4 minutes |
| Booster touchdown on drone ship | ~10 minutes |
| Upper-stage payload deployment | ~34 minutes |
The table summarizes the mission’s critical timepoints; these checkpoints are standard for orbital launches with staged vehicles and allow mission managers to validate each phase. The close timing between separation and landing shows the booster followed a powered descent profile similar in concept to other modern reusable boosters.
Reactions & Quotes
“Magnificent!”
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX (social post)
Space industry leaders publicly acknowledged the milestone, with SpaceX leadership posting brief congratulations on social media. The responses signaled industry recognition that a second reusable heavy-lift entrant would reshape competitive dynamics.
“We will move heaven and Earth to help NASA get back to the moon faster.”
Dave Limp, Blue Origin (company statement)
Blue Origin leadership framed the flight as progress toward supporting lunar architectures. Company spokespeople emphasized that landing the booster is one step in a longer certification process required for routine, commercial reuse.
Unconfirmed
- Exact refurbishment timeline for this specific New Glenn booster and the date of any planned reflights remain unannounced by Blue Origin.
- Commercial pricing or contract terms that would result from routine New Glenn reuse have not been published and are speculative at this stage.
- Any internal assessment of long-term reliability based on one successful landing is preliminary; long-term performance requires multiple reflights.
Bottom Line
Thursday’s mission delivered two concrete wins: a recovered 189-foot booster and successful deployment of twin NASA spacecraft en route to Mars. Both achievements advance Blue Origin’s technical roadmap and validate systems that will be essential for reuse and deep-space missions.
However, converting a single successful landing into a program-level advantage depends on demonstrable refurbishment, repeated reflights, transparent performance data, and customer uptake. The coming months will be critical as Blue Origin outlines timelines for booster processing, reflight schedules, and how New Glenn slots into commercial and lunar mission planning.