The heavy-lift New Glenn rocket reached orbit during its maiden flight on Thursday, bringing Blue Origin, a private company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, one step closer to competing with launch titan SpaceX.  The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Thursday morning, following several weather-related delays and technical setbacks that had pushed the launch back several days. The company achieved its primary goal of reaching orbit, but fell short of its stretch goal: bringing the first-stage booster back for reuse. Landing the booster on the first try was an “ambitious goal” but the company “learned a lot from today” and will try again during its next launch this spring, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a statement. Blue Origin aims to become the second medium- or heavy-lift company, after […]