Delayed New Glenn rocket finally blasts into space

New Glenn lifted off but didn't come back down

Blue Origin, a space company owned by billionaire Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, has just launched a brand new rocket from Florida in the US.

It's called the New Glenn and was originally scheduled to blast off on Monday 13 January, but the launch was delayed due to technical issues that the team managed to resolve.

Even though the rocket successfully launched and entered orbit for the first time, not everything went to plan.

New Glenn's rocket booster was designed to be reusable but, after take off, it was unable to land on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean, meaning that it can't be used again.

The New Glenn is named after US astronaut John Glenn, who was the first American to orbit Earth.

Reusable rockets are being developed to try and make space travel last wasteful and more cost effective, and it was hoped that the New Glenn could be used up to 25 times.

Although this part of the mission failed, it's still a step forward for Blue Origin, which wants to be a leader in space tourism and provide trips to the Moon.

The New Glenn can also carry satellites, and Jeff Bezos has plans for creating lots of these and sending them to space to develop an internet service.

Jeff Bezos isn't the only billionaire trying to get further into space

Blue Origin is one of several private companies developing rockets and technology for exploring space - there's also SpaceX, owned by another billionaire, Elon Musk.

Musk wished Jeff Bezos well on his social media platform X, writing "Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt! @JeffBezos".

BBC climate and science reporter Georgina Raynard says that the launch of the New Glenn "throws down a challenge to Jeff Bezos's rival Elon Musk as the two men fight for dominance in space.

"Both are competing over who has the biggest and most powerful rocket. Bezos is still behind in the race, but this is a big step forward for him."