LOS ANGELES -- US space technology company Blue Origin launched its massive reusable New Glenn rocket on Thursday, sending NASA's ESCAPADE twin spacecraft bound for Mars.

The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 3:55 pm Eastern Time.

About three minutes after launch, Blue Origin confirmed main engine cut-off and stage separation.

The company later confirmed that New Glenn's second stage and payload continued their journey toward Mars as planned.

During the final descent of the first-stage booster, its three middle BE-4 engines reignited to slow down the vehicle before landing.

The booster successfully touched down on a landing platform stationed several hundred miles downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.

"New Glenn returns to its blue origin," the company said in a post on X.

Thursday's launch marked the second flight of the New Glenn rocket and the first time New Glenn's booster has been successfully recovered.