05/29/2026
Blue Origin suffered a major setback Thursday night when its massive New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The test was being conducted ahead of a planned satellite launch next week involving Amazon’s Leo internet satellite constellation.
The explosion created a large orange fireball visible from nearby beaches and shook homes across Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. Despite the dramatic incident, officials confirmed that no injuries occurred and there was no danger to the public from fumes or debris.
Jeff Bezos acknowledged the failure on X, stating that it was “too early to know the root cause” but emphasized the company’s commitment to rebuilding and continuing development. The New Glenn rocket had already faced difficulties earlier this year when an engine failure left a satellite in the wrong orbit during its third flight.
The 321-foot-tall rocket is central to Blue Origin’s long-term ambitions in commercial spaceflight and NASA’s Artemis moon program. Blue Origin had been preparing a prototype lunar lander mission for later this year and recently secured a NASA contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to launch lunar rovers.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman noted that heavy-lift spaceflight development is extremely challenging and said NASA would evaluate potential impacts on Artemis timelines. Meanwhile, SpaceX founder Elon Musk publicly offered support and condolences to Blue Origin following the explosion.
Source: AP News
