Jeff Bezos’ space company launched its massive new rocket for the first time, aiming to advance the Amazon founder’s lifelong space-exploration ambitions.Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket blasted off Thursday from a launchpad near Cape Canaveral,

Shrugging off bad weather, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched its powerful New Glenn rocket on its maiden flight early Thursday, lighting up a cloudy overnight sky as it climbed away from Cape Canaveral in a high-stakes bid to compete with Elon Musk's industry-leading SpaceX.

The New Glenn makes it safely into orbit for the inaugural test flight of a rocket that could rival those in Elon Musk's SpaceX fleet.