Standing 98 meters tall, the New Glenn rocket can transport up to 45 tons to low Earth orbit, more than double SpaceX's Falcon 9 capacity of 23 tons but less than the Falcon Heavy's 63.8 tons.

Bezos' New Glenn and Musk's Starship both are heading for launch, and both could lift off in close timing to each other. Here's what we know.

Update: This story has been updated to reflect a move in the launch date. Currently listed as launching no earlier than 1 a.m. Friday per the Space Coast Office of Tourism, Blue Origin's brand new orbital rocket promises to put on quite a performance when it launches.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is poised to launch its first orbital rocket next week, marking a pivotal moment in the commercial space race currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Standing over 320 feet tall, it dwarfs the SpaceX's 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, featuring a 23-foot diameter payload fairing designed to handle massive payloads — twice the volume of typical commercial rockets in its class.