(CNN) — Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Amazon multibillionaire Jeff Bezos, has launched its towering New Glenn rocket on a mission that marks its first major test.

Carrying a pair of satellites that are destined to take a long, winding trip to Mars, New Glenn took flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a launch window that opened at 2:57 p.m. ET Thursday. Blue Origin is hosting a livestream of the event.

Blue Origin also landed the first stage of the rocket back on a seafaring platform for the first time, marking a monumental stride forward in the company’s efforts to make New Glenn reusable, less expensive, and a better competitor for Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Blue Origin had been slated to launch a NASA mission, called Escapade, on Sunday, but cloud cover resu

See Full Page