Thirty storeys tall with a reusable first stage filled with liquid oxygen and methane, New Glenn launched around 2 a.m. ET from Blue Origin's launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

For the first time, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has put a payload in orbit using its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket.

Blue Origin successfully launched the rocket after an attempt earlier in the week was scrubbed. The flight is a crucial test of the company’s ability to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

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.

Rockets launch from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral ... In September 2015, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, joined by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott, announced plans to build and launch ...

The 320-foot New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn with a prototype satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space company, launched its large rocket for the first time early Thursday.

The first-ever launch of the New Glenn represents a major milestone for the Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, whose Blue Origin spaceflight company has now officially entered the orbital launch market and heavy-lift space industry, setting it up to compete with the likes of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.