Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Achieves Epic Sea Landing in New Video
Blue Origin successfully recovered its New Glenn rocket on Thursday, Nov. 13, after the vehicle completed its second-ever flight, a milestone captured in a newly released video that shows the booster’s controlled descent and touchdown on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The New Glenn, a heavy‑lift launch vehicle designed to compete with other large rockets in the commercial market, lifted off from the company's launch complex in West Texas carrying a test payload. The flight marked the first time the rocket’s first stage attempted a propulsive landing at sea, a capability that Blue Origin has been developing for several years to enable rapid re‑use of its hardware.
During the descent, the booster performed a series of engine burns to reduce speed and align with the autonomous drone ship, which was positioned roughly 300 nautical miles east of the launch site. Despite moderate sea conditions, the vehicle’s guidance system guided it to a precise landing pad, where the landing legs deployed and the rocket came to a halt. The video released by the company shows the stage’s thrusters igniting, the plume of flame against the horizon, and the final moment when the vehicle settled onto the deck.
Industry analysts described the successful landing as a significant step toward operational reusability for Blue Origin, noting that reliable sea recoveries could lower launch costs and increase launch cadence. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the flight complied with safety regulations, and a spokesperson for Blue Origin said the company plans to incorporate lessons learned into upcoming missions.
Looking ahead, Blue Origin intends to use the recovered booster for future test flights and eventually for commercial payload missions. The company has indicated that a series of incremental upgrades to the propulsion and landing systems are planned, with the goal of achieving a fully reusable launch architecture within the next few years. Successful sea landings such as this one bring the company closer to that objective and signal growing competition in the heavy‑lift launch sector.
