Amazon founder's Blue Origin tests safety system for space tourists

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket company shot a capsule higher into space on Wednesday than it's ever done before.

The New Shepard rocket blasted off from West Texas on the company's latest test flight. The entire mission took less than 12 minutes to unfold, with the capsule hitting a maximum speed of 3,598 km/h and height of 119 kilometers.

It's part of a safety system intended to save lives once space tourists and others climb aboard for suborbital hops.