You’ve seen the videos. A shiny, white, somewhat controversial-looking rocket sits on a pad in the middle of a Texas desert. It roars to life, shoots straight up, and then disappears into the blue. A few minutes later, the booster lands vertically, looking like something out of a 1950s sci-fi flick, while a capsule floats down under three parachutes.
But how far up does Blue Origin go, exactly?
The short answer: about 66 miles. But honestly, that number doesn't tell the whole story. If you’re trying to settle a bar bet or you’re just a space nerd like me, the nuance between "high up" and "in space" is where things get interesting.
The Magic Number: Crossing the Karman Line
When people ask about the altitude of Jeff Bezos’ space company, they’re usually talking about the New Shepard rocket. This is the suborbital vehicle designed for space tourism and research.
Most New Shepard flights aim for an apogee—the highest point—of roughly 100 to 107 kilometers. In American units, that’s about 62 to 66 miles above the Earth’s surface.
Why that specific height? Because of the Karman line.
Named after physicist Theodore von Kármán, this is the internationally recognized boundary where "Earth" ends and "Space" begins. It’s set at 100 kilometers. Basically, the idea is that at this height, the atmosphere is so thin that a regular airplane can’t generate enough lift to stay up. You’d have to travel at orbital velocity just to keep from falling back down.
Blue Origin makes a massive deal out of this. Why? Because their main competitor, Virgin Galactic, usually only flies to about 50 or 55 miles (roughly 80-88 km). By pushing past 100 km, Blue Origin can legally and scientifically claim they are taking their passengers into "real" space, whereas Virgin Galactic relies on the FAA and NASA’s definition of space, which starts at 50 miles.
Does It Go Any Higher?
Sometimes. Altitude varies by a few kilometers depending on the specific mission profile, the weight of the payload (or the number of rich celebrities on board), and the atmospheric conditions.
For example, the NS-25 mission in May 2024 reached an apogee of 107 km (66 miles).
Earlier flights, like the one with William Shatner, hit around 106 km.
Some of the early test flights hovered closer to the 101 km mark.
It’s a tight window. They aren't trying to go to 200 miles up because that would require a much bigger rocket and a lot more fuel. They just want to clear that 100 km hurdle, let you float for three or four minutes, and then let gravity bring you home.
The Big Brother: New Glenn and Orbital Altitudes
Here is where most people get confused. If you're asking how far up does Blue Origin go in the context of their future plans, the answer changes completely.
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While New Shepard is a "hop," the upcoming New Glenn rocket is a beast. We're talking about a rocket that stands over 320 feet tall.
New Glenn isn’t just going to "touch" space and come back. It’s designed to reach Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
- LEO starts at about 160 km (100 miles) but usually extends up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles).
- New Glenn is also targeting Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), which can reach altitudes of 35,000 km (22,000 miles).
Comparing New Shepard to New Glenn is like comparing a backyard trampoline to a cross-country flight. One gives you a quick thrill; the other takes you to a different destination entirely.
How It Feels to Be at the Top
Honestly, the altitude is just a number until you’re the one looking out the window.
At 66 miles up, the sky isn't blue anymore. It’s a deep, velvety black. You can see the actual curvature of the Earth. You can see the thin, fragile-looking layer of the atmosphere that keeps us all alive. It’s what astronauts call the "Overview Effect."
The capsule is travelling at roughly Mach 3 (about 2,200 mph) during the ascent. But at the very top of that arc—the apogee—everything goes quiet. The engines are off. You’re weightless. You’re higher than any commercial jet (which usually cruises at 6-8 miles) and higher than the highest weather balloons.
Blue Origin vs. SpaceX: The Altitude Gap
We have to address the elephant in the room. When people see SpaceX rockets, they see them going way higher.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 typically takes astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS orbits at an altitude of roughly 400 kilometers (250 miles).
So, does SpaceX go "further" than Blue Origin? Currently, yes.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard is a suborbital flight. Think of it like a high-jump athlete. They go straight up and come straight down.
SpaceX is more like a long-distance runner who also happens to be a high-jumper. They go up, but they also go sideways fast enough (17,500 mph) to stay in orbit.
Blue Origin's New Shepard is a tool for tourism and microgravity research. It’s not meant to compete with the ISS or the Moon... yet.
What Happens if They Go Too High?
There’s a common misconception that if a New Shepard rocket went "too high," it might get stuck in space.
Kinda impossible.
Physics is a bit of a stickler here. To stay in space, you don't just need altitude; you need horizontal speed. Without that massive sideways velocity, anything you throw up—no matter how high—is eventually going to fall back down. If Blue Origin accidentally pushed a capsule to 150 km, it would just mean a slightly longer and more intense re-entry. The "limit" isn't about safety as much as it is about the fuel capacity of the BE-3 engine.
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Summary of Blue Origin Altitudes
To keep it simple, here is the breakdown of the heights they hit:
- Standard Space Tourism (New Shepard): 100 km to 107 km (62–66 miles).
- The "Space" Boundary (Karman Line): 100 km (62 miles).
- Future Orbital Missions (New Glenn): 160 km to 35,000+ km.
- The Moon (Blue Moon Lander): 384,400 km.
Actionable Insights for Space Enthusiasts
If you’re tracking these launches or thinking about how the industry is moving, keep an eye on the New Glenn maiden flight scheduled for 2026. That will be the moment Blue Origin moves from "the 66-mile club" into the "orbital club."
- Watch the Apogee: During live streams, Blue Origin always displays the altitude. Look for the "100 km" mark. That's the moment the crowd goes wild because it’s the official entry into space.
- Check the Definition: If someone tells you Blue Origin doesn't go to space, they're likely using the European vs. American definition. In the US, anything over 50 miles is space. Globally, it’s usually 62 miles. Blue Origin clears both easily.
- Research the Payload: Not every flight is for tourists. Many flights carry NASA experiments that only need 3 minutes of "clean" microgravity. For these, hitting exactly 105 km is crucial for data consistency.
The company's motto is Gradatim Ferociter—"Step by Step, Ferociously." They started with small hops, moved to 66-mile suborbital flights, and the next step is the long-haul journey into orbit.
Keep your eyes on the telemetry. The numbers are only going up from here.