Blue Origin's Rocket Sticks a Historic Landing

The New Shepard inches closer to the ground for a successful landing. (Screenshot from YouTube/Blue Origin) Private aeronautics firm Blue Origin on Monday became the first company to successfully launch a rocket into space and bring it back to Earth for a safe landing. The rocket, dubbed the New Shepard, took off from Blue Origin’s test facility in Texas and touched down again fully upright, in a near-perfect reverse of its takeoff just minutes before. Most rockets used to launch capsules into space are used once, falling into the ocean after their fuel is expended. This means that a new rocket must be manufactured every time a rocket is launched, making repeat flights to be tremendously expensive. With Monday’s successful launch and subsequent landing, we’re inching ever closer to a new era of space tourism.