Blue Origin's New Glenn successfully reached orbit on its first-ever flight, putting it in competition with SpaceX for heavy-lift missions.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending up a prototype satellite to orbit thousands of miles above Earth.

Blue Origin successfully launched the rocket after an attempt earlier in the week was scrubbed. The flight is a crucial test of the company’s ability to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

A recent exodus of talent from The Washington Post has prompted more than 400 of its staffers to send an unusual letter to the Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, expressing alarm over the newspaper’s direction and asking him to intervene.

In a letter, more than 400 employees asked Jeff Bezos, the company’s owner and founder of Amazon, to meet, saying they were “deeply alarmed” by recent decisions at the paper.