We've got another space first to report today: Blue Origin has successfully reused a rocket booster for the first time, managing to get the 'Never Tell Me The Odds' rocket back to its landing pad in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the third New Glenn (NG-3) mission.

The rocket booster was first used with the NG-2 mission last November, and having recovered it that time, Blue Origin has now shown it can be deployed again. It means the company can now better compete with SpaceX when it comes to these reusable rockets.

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A major satellite expansion

As with reusable rockets, Amazon and Blue Origin are competing with SpaceX and Starlink when it comes to satellite communications. SpaceX is hoping to begin the process of launching thousands of its Starlink V2 satellites sometime next year.

The idea is that our phones will be able to connect to them without any hardware or software upgrades — these satellites will be smart enough and powerful enough to mimic a regular cell tower, with 4G and 5G speeds, from all the way up in orbit.

It'll take years before the space satellite network is ready to go beyond emergency communications — and pricing and carrier partnerships will need to be worked out along the way — but BlueBird 7 is a sign of the direction we're heading in.

Reaction to the launch on social media has been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic (perhaps buoyed by the recent Artemis II mission), with livestream viewers describing the experience as "a wonderful show for any rocket enthusiast" and simply "amazing". You can read more about the New Glenn missions on the Blue Origin website.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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