text: Watch Blue Origin’s surprise rocket launch and safe landing
  NOW delivering to the edge of space. The rocket company set up by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos successfully launched and landed an uncrewed rocket on Monday.
  The New Shepard capsule and launch vehicle reached an altitude of about 100 kilometres before separating. The capsule deployed its parachutes and drifted to the ground, while the rocket used controlled firings to descend before deploying its landing legs for a triumphant return (see video at bit.ly/originrocket).
  It is the second surprise test this year, following a launch in April. That time, a loss of hydraulic pressure meant Bezos’s firm, Blue Origin, was not able to recover the rocket. The company has so far launched its capsules without a crew but is working towards a mission that will give six people 4 minutes of weightlessness and a view of Earth from space.
  This latest success puts Blue Origin in direct competition with SpaceX, which is working to bring a craft back from orbit to land on a floating barge.
  (Image: Blue Origin)
  This article appeared in print under the headline “Surprise launch”