Blue Origin launches rocket with Mars-bound spacecraft

Blue Origin has successfully launched its huge New Glenn rocket with a pair of Nasa spacecraft destined for Mars.

- Associated Press

It was only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos's company and Nasa are counting on to ferry people and supplies to the moon.

The 98-metre New Glenn blasted into the sky on Thursday from the Cape Canaveral space force station, sending Nasa's twin Mars orbiters on a long journey to the red planet. Liftoff was stalled for four days by poor local weather and solar storms.

In a first for Blue Origin, the booster was recovered after its separation from the upper stage and the Mars orbiters, an essential step to recycle and cut costs similar to how SpaceX rockets work. Company employees cheered wildly as the booster landed upright on a barge 375 miles offshore. Bezos watched from launch control.