While SpaceX lost the upper stage of its new Starship in a flight test, the futuristic spacecraft presages a spaceflight revolution, says a leading U.S. space scholar.

On the same day SpaceX conducted the seventh flight of the Starship, rival Blue Origin launched for the first time the New Glenn rocket.

Blue Origin successfully launched the rocket after an attempt earlier in the week was scrubbed. The flight is a crucial test of the company’s ability to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The Federal Aviation Administration has paused SpaceX's the launch of its Starship rocket as the U.S. agency oversees an investigation by the private company of the breakup after a test launch Thursday.

The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready on Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. John Raoux/AP SpaceX's test flight ...

The flight is a crucial test of the company’s ability to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. transcript New Glenn, named after astronaut John Glenn, successfully lifted off early Thursday morning ...

If New Glenn can continue to demonstrate its capabilities and (more crucially) its reliability, it has the potential to take some business that SpaceX would otherwise struggle to accommodate.

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.

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 makes it safely into orbit for the inaugural test flight of a rocket that could rival those in Elon Musk's SpaceX fleet.

Blue Ghost and New Glenn started off the year right. Many more launches are on the way, and many can be watched online.