The billionaire Amazon owner Jeff Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, has achieved a huge milestone by launching its first large rocket into orbit, marking a huge step forward in private space exploration.

New Glenn blasted off from Florida, USA, yesterday (16 January). The reusable rocket is designed to fly at least 25 times and is named after astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth.

This achievement puts Blue Origin in closer competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.