Blue Origin's New Glenn completed its second flight on Nov. 13, lifting off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral at 3:55 p.m. ET. The mission deployed NASA's ESCAPADE spacecraft bound for Mars and achieved the rocket's first booster recovery with a successful drone-ship landing in the Atlantic. A photo gallery documents the liftoff, spacecraft separation and booster touchdown, marking a notable milestone for Blue Origin's reusable-rocketry program.
New Glenn's Breakthrough Second Flight: Deploys NASA's ESCAPADE and Lands Booster on Drone Ship
Blue Origin's New Glenn completed its second flight on Nov. 13, lifting off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral at 3:55 p.m. ET. The mission deployed NASA's ESCAPADE spacecraft bound for Mars and achieved the rocket's first booster recovery with a successful drone-ship landing in the Atlantic. A photo gallery documents the liftoff, spacecraft separation and booster touchdown, marking a notable milestone for Blue Origin's reusable-rocketry program.
12:35 PM, 11/14/2025Technology
Blue Origin's New Glenn Completes Milestone Nov. 13 Launch
On Nov. 13 at 3:55 p.m. ET, Blue Origin's New Glenn lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on its second flight, successfully deploying NASA's Mars-bound ESCAPADE spacecraft and achieving the vehicle's first-ever booster recovery when the stage landed atop a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket rolled off the pad and climbed away in a carefully coordinated ascent. Cameras captured the key moments — liftoff, fairing separation, spacecraft deployment and the dramatic first-stage touchdown at sea — which are collected in an accompanying photo gallery.
Mission highlights
ESCAPADE deployment: NASA's ESCAPADE separated as planned and is continuing on its interplanetary trajectory toward Mars.
Booster recovery: The successful landing of New Glenn's first-stage booster on a drone ship marks a significant milestone for Blue Origin's reusable-rocketry program and demonstrates progress toward routine, sea-based recoveries.
Why it matters
The Nov. 13 flight underscores growing competition and capability at Cape Canaveral, a busy launch range where SpaceX, Blue Origin and ULA regularly operate. Reliable booster recovery and successful interplanetary deployments are key steps in lowering costs and increasing cadence for future missions.
Photo gallery: See multiple angles of the liftoff, spacecraft separation and booster touchdown for a visual recap of this milestone mission.
Reporting and photos courtesy of FLORIDA TODAY. Rick Neale contributed coverage. For more coverage from Cape Canaveral and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space or sign up for their weekly space newsletter.