Blue Origin launches huge rocket carrying twin NASA spacecraft to Mars

Blue Origin launched its massive New Glenn rocket with a pair of NASA spacecraft bound for Mars. Thursday’s successful liftoff from Florida is only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos’ company and NASA rely on to deliver people and supplies to the Moon. The Mars orbiters will spend a year around Earth before heading to the Red Planet. They are expected to arrive in 2027. The University of California, Berkeley is leading the $80 million mission. The rocket’s maiden test flight earlier this year reached orbit, but failed to land the booster on a barge in the Atlantic. This time, Blue Origin recovered the booster on its floating platform.