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Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Launches Spacecraft Higher Than Ever From West Texas

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket company has shot a capsule higher into space than it's ever done before.

The company's New Shepard rocket blasted off Wednesday on a test flight from West Texas. Once the booster separated, the capsule's escape motor fired, lifting the spacecraft to an altitude of 389,846 feet. That's 74 miles or 119 kilometers.

It's part of a safety system intended to save lives once space tourists and others climb aboard for suborbital hops.

Wednesday's passenger was Mannequin Skywalker, plus science experiments.

The booster and capsule - both repeat fliers - landed successfully. It was the ninth test flight and lasted 11 minutes.

Blue Origin has yet to announce when it will start taking reservations or how much flights will cost. Bezos, its founder, heads up Amazon. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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