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Located in Kent, Washington, Blue Origin, LLC is a privately owned American aerospace manufacturer and provider of suborbital spaceflight services. Jeff Bezos, the company's founder and executive chairman, established it in 2000.

On Monday, the rocket company owned by Jeff Bezos experienced its first launch failure. The only things on board were scientific experiments.

About a minute after takeoff, the Blue Origin rocket drifted off track over West Texas.

The launch abort system of the capsule activated instantly, lifting the vehicle off the surface. The capsule descended into the desolate desert floor a few minutes later.

The accident happened as the rocket was travelling at a speed of almost 700 mph (1,126 kph) at a height of around 28,000 feet (8,500 metres).

As per the launch commentator Erika Wagner, the capsule managed to escape successfully, with the webcast showing it reaching a maximum altitude of more than 37,000 feet (11,300 metres). Thirty-six experiments were on board, half sponsored by NASA.

The New Shepard programme, named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard, flew for the 23rd time. For ten-minute trips to the edge of space, paying guests have been transported using the same type of rocket and capsule. It was this rocket's ninth flight.

Its most recent passenger flight was just last month. Bezos was on the first New Shepard crew last summer.

Altogether, Blue Origin has carried 31 people to the edge of space.