The successful flight to orbit of the Amazon founder’s powerful rocket suggests it could grow into a credible competitor with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Blue Origin successfully launched its two-stage heavy-lift New Glenn rocket on its unmanned maiden voyage into space early Thursday, achieving the mission's primary goal of reaching orbit.

Blue Origin is key to Amazon's ability to compete with SpaceX Starlink. Jeff Bezos has finally done it. He's finally reached space with an honest-to-goodness orbital-class rocket. Ten years ago, Bezos ignited a feud with SpaceX founder Elon Musk when his Blue Origin rocket company launched a suborbital New Shepard rocket to the edge of space and then landed it back on Earth.

If all goes to plan, shortly after launch, Blue Origin will attempt to land the first-stage booster on a drone ship named Jacklyn, in honor of Bezos' mother, stationed about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.

The uncrewed New Glenn rocket took off at 2:03 a.m. EST from Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Blue Origin said.

The 320-foot (98-meter) tall New Glenn rocket took off from Launch Pad 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at around 2:03 a.m. EST.

People way outside Space Coast (Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, Pensacola) may see Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket after Cape Canaveral liftoff.

Blue Origin scrubbed the launch of its new heavy-lift rocket early Monday, once again postponing the maiden flight of its New Glenn rocket.

Blue Origin, company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, will launch massive New Glenn rocket. You can livestream coverage on iPhone, Android, YouTube.

Founded 25 years ago by Bezos, Blue Origin has been launching paying passengers to the edge of space since 2021, including himself. The short hops from Texas use smaller rockets named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard. New Glenn, which honors John Glenn, is five times taller.

The New Glenn rocket was due to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida for the first time in the early hours of Monday morning but the launch was cancelled after several delays

New Glenn is named after the first American to orbit Earth, John Glenn. It is five times taller than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket that carries paying customers to the edge of space from Texas. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos founded the company 25 years ago.