The uncrewed New Glenn rocket took off at 2:03 a.m. EST from Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Blue Origin said.

Named for the astronaut John Glenn, it is a far larger and more powerful vehicle than Blue Origin’s existing New Shepherd rocket, which has been used to carry paying customers to the edge of orbit.

For the first time, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has put its New Shepard suborbital rocket ship through a couple of minutes’ worth of moon-level gravity ...

Officials said the New Shephard rocket showed "no issues" and is ready for the July 20 launch. Read next ...

The New Glenn rocket is five times taller in height in comparison to the New Shephard rocket which is currently being utilized for undertaking suborbital flights.

An enormous Blue Origin rocket meant ... overseeing the New Glenn, said in a statement "We're focused on ramping our launch cadence and manufacturing rates." Blue Origin's New Shephard also ...