Blue Origin completes first landing of reused New Glenn rocket booster

Cape Canaveral: Blue Origin confirmed on Sunday, April 19, 2026, that its New Glenn rocket booster successfully touched down after launch, marking the company’s first landing of a reused booster.

The 29-story heavy-lift rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 18, 2026. The mission carried AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite to low-Earth orbit.

Blue Origin said the flight was a key step in showing that New Glenn has reliable booster reuse capability. The milestone positions the Jeff Bezos-led company to compete more directly with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has regularly landed and reflown boosters for years.

A reusable booster is central to lowering launch costs and increasing flight frequency. With this landing, Blue Origin moves closer to offering routine commercial and government missions on New Glenn.