Which Jeff Bezos-founded company's New Glenn rocket became the first non-SpaceX orbital-class booster to land propulsively?

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket recently made history by successfully completing the first propulsive landing of an orbital-class booster by a company other than SpaceX. This significant achievement occurred on November 13, 2025, during the rocket's second flight, designated NG-2. The massive first stage of New Glenn, named "Never Tell Me the Odds," executed a controlled descent and touched down vertically on Blue Origin's autonomous landing platform, the "Jacklyn," positioned hundreds of miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. This successful recovery demonstrates a critical step towards making spaceflight more sustainable and cost-effective.

Propulsive landing is a highly advanced technique where a rocket uses its engines to precisely control its descent and softly land back on Earth. This method stands in contrast to older recovery systems like parachutes, which offer less control and can result in harder impacts, requiring more extensive refurbishment. The ability to land a booster propulsively is crucial for reusability, allowing companies to significantly reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit by flying the same rocket components multiple times. SpaceX pioneered this technology with its Falcon 9 rocket, transforming the economics of space access.

Founded by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin designed New Glenn as a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Standing over 320 feet tall, it is powered by seven BE-4 engines on its reusable first stage, which are among the most powerful liquid oxygen/liquefied natural gas-fueled engines ever flown. This impressive rocket is capable of delivering substantial payloads to various orbits, supporting missions for clients like NASA and Amazon's Project Kuiper, which aims to provide global broadband internet. The successful propulsive landing of New Glenn underscores Blue Origin's commitment to its vision of establishing a permanent human presence in space by developing reusable and reliable launch systems.