First propulsive landing of a rocket after sending something into space

On 23/11/2015, Blue Origin achieved a successful vertical landing of its New Shepard rocket booster after sending a spacecraft past the boundary of space. The uncrewed suborbital vehicle launched from Blue Origin’s test site in West Texas and reached an altitude of approximately 100.5 kilometers, or 329,839 feet, crossing the Kármán line, which is commonly used to define the edge of space. After separation, the crew capsule continued upward before descending under parachutes, while the booster initiated a powered return for landing. During descent, the New Shepard booster used aerodynamic control surfaces and a restart of its BE-3 engine to slow and guide the vehicle toward the landing pad. The rocket deployed landing legs and performed a controlled vertical touchdown near its launch site. Blue Origin reported that the booster landed about 1.4 meters from the center of the pad. The successful landing marked the first time a rocket booster returned vertically after flying to space and was recovered for potential reuse. The crew capsule also completed a controlled descent using parachutes and retro thrusters, landing separately in the West Texas desert. The flight demonstrated reusable suborbital launch capability for future crewed missions. New Shepard was designed to carry passengers and scientific payloads on brief trips above the Kármán line, providing several minutes of microgravity before returning to Earth. The 23/11/2015 mission showed that both the booster and capsule could be recovered after a spaceflight, supporting Blue Origin’s reusable vehicle development program. The same booster later flew again in January 2016, demonstrating reflight capability for a vertical landing rocket.