WEST TEXAS-Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has moved a step closer to his dream of space exploration, with the first hot-fire test of a new rocket.

Blue Origin fired up the BE-4 engine for a thirty second test at half power, a significant step toward using it to launch a ship into the cosmos.

It is expected to be the most powerful American-built rocket engine in decades.

The rocket puts the billionaire within reach of realising his ambition of creating a rocket that will carry astronauts back to the moon, perhaps as early as the 2020s.

Blue Origin undertook the test on Wednesday at the company's facility in West Texas.

It puts pay to concerns within the industry that such a relatively young company, founded by Bezos in 2000, would struggle to develop and operate a reliable aerospace infrastructure.

This seemed to be confirmed when in May, an engine powerpack exploded on its test stand at the Texas base.

The successful test suggests that Blue Origin is back on track, and has moved forward in developing a new full engine.

Writing on Twitter, a company spokesman said: 'First hotfire of our BE-4 engine is a success.'

The BE-4 engine will be used on Blue Origin's orbital rocket New Glenn, which the firm hopes will launch into space in the early 2020s

The first flight of the reusable rocket is planned for 2021, though no official date has been set yet.

It is the big brother of the New Shephard rocket being created by the firm to provide space tourism flights.

New Glenn will be powered by seven of the BE-4 engines.

The 270-feet tall rocket will be able to lift a 45 ton (40 tonne) payload into low orbit or 12 tons (11.7 tonnes) into geo-stationary orbit.

The BE-4 produces up to 550,000lbs of thrust, which makes it the most powerful rocket built in the last twenty years.

SpaceX's Merlin engine can deliver 190,000lbs and their planned Raptor engine will provide 380,000lbs.

It is fuelled by liquid natural gas, as opposed to the various kerosene-based hydrocarbon fuels normally used in the aerospace industry for rockets and jet engines.

The technology has the benefit of being reusable and developed with private funding. 

This makes it attractive to governments, as less taxpayer investment is needed to develop future space programs.

If successful, it could also end US reliance on Russian-built rockets.

The BE-4 is rumoured to be the engine of choice for the US government's new Vulcan rocket, under development since 2014.

In March, Blue Origin unveiled how its New Glenn launch vehicle, will operate - and revealed its first customer.

The reusable rocket will be able to land on a drone ship, and is expected to blast off in 2021 with France's Eutelsat Communications SA as its first customer, Bezos said.

It will compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon Heavy, which is expected to send tourists around the moon next year.