Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket was destroyed in a dramatic explosion during an engine test on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Thursday night. The blast sent a fireball into the sky and shook homes in the surrounding area. No injuries were reported.
The company confirmed the vehicle was undergoing a pre-launch engine firing ahead of a planned satellite mission scheduled for next week when the incident occurred. Emergency crews remained on site for more than an hour, but officials said there was no ongoing hazard to the public.
The setback adds pressure on the New Glenn programme following a previous flight anomaly earlier this year that left a satellite in the wrong orbit. The rocket is central to Blue Origin’s plans for large-scale satellite deployment and future lunar missions tied to NASA’s Artemis programme.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, described the incident as a “rough day” on social media, adding that the company would “rebuild whatever needs rebuilding” and continue its flight campaign.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on X, adding that they would assess any impact on the Artemis programme, including plans for a lunar base he recently outlined.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also reacted to the incident, offering support to Blue Origin and writing on X: “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”
Blue Origin and SpaceX are both racing to build launcher rockets for future Moon missions scheduled under NASA’s Artemis programme, which will eventually see humans return to its surface for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
Blue Origin has recently secured contracts linked to upcoming Artemis flights, while SpaceX continues developing its Starship system for future deep-space missions, though the vehicle is still in testing and has faced repeated technical setbacks.