New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- Blue Origin finally pulled off a flawless liftoff and booster landing on Thursday after two earlier attempts were scrubbed earlier in the week. Even on launch day, the countdown halted twice before the New Glenn rocket roared into the sky at 3:55 p.m. New York time.

The 320-foot-tall rocket carried two NASA satellites, Blue and Gold, part of the agency's Escapade mission to study Mars's atmosphere and its interaction with solar winds.

Minutes after liftoff, New Glenn's upper stage continued toward space while its massive lower booster began its return journey. It fired its engines, slowed its descent, and touched down vertically on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean - a feat previously achieved only by SpaceX.

Raucous ...