Jeff Bezos' new rocket, taller than the Statue of Liberty, has blasted into space. The giant 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket, named for legendary U.S. astronaut John Glenn, achieved a successful maiden launch after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just after 2 a.

Shrugging off bad weather, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched its powerful New Glenn rocket on its maiden flight early Thursday, lighting up a cloudy overnight sky as it climbed away from Cape Canaveral in a high-stakes bid to compete with Elon Musk's industry-leading SpaceX.

The New Glenn makes it safely into orbit for the inaugural test flight of a rocket that could rival those in Elon Musk's SpaceX fleet.