Jeff Bezos’ Blue Starting place mentioned its New Glenn rocket exploded throughout an engine-firing check. All staff were accounted for, the corporate mentioned
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Starting place exploded throughout a check on the release pad Thursday night time, shaking close by properties and in brief portray the sky orange.
Blue Starting place mentioned its New Glenn rocket exploded throughout an engine-firing check being carried out forward of a satellite tv for pc release deliberate for subsequent week. No person was once harm, in keeping with officers at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station.
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Bezos mentioned by way of X. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
The large New Glenn was once grounded in April after it left a satellite tv for pc within the incorrect orbit on account of engine failure. It was once handiest the 3rd flight of the rocket that Blue Starting place intends to make use of to release landers to the moon for NASA, together with the landers that can take astronauts to the lunar floor.
The corporate have been heading in the right direction to release a prototype lunar lander to the moon on a flight check this autumn. Previous this week, the gap company awarded Blue Starting place a freelance price loads of thousands and thousands of bucks to release a couple of moon buggies in the following couple of years as a part of the Artemis program.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman mentioned by way of X. He promised to supply knowledge on any affects to the Artemis program, together with the moon base that he lately defined.
A Blue Starting place New Glenn rocket explodes throughout an engine-firing check on Thursday, Might 28, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (@JConcilus by way of AP)
Houses shook in close by Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Seashore round 9 p.m., with citizens turning to social media to marvel what took place. Release Complicated 36 is visual from the seaside, and the web briefly stuffed with pictures of an orange fireball.
The rocket was once meant to blast off subsequent week with web satellites which might be a part of the Amazon Leo constellation in orbit.
Emergency crews remained greater than an hour after the explosion. Officers stressed out there was once no danger because of fumes or different possible hazards.
Area Power officers mentioned the explosion would now not have an effect on upcoming launches via different corporations from different pads. United Release Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is because of blast off Friday night time with a batch of Amazon Leo satellites, the similar sort that this rocket was once meant to take in.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk, who is had his personal percentage of rocket explosions, introduced his condolences. “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly,” he informed Blue Starting place by way of X.
Towering at 321 ft (98 meters), New Glenn made its debut in 2025. It is called after John Glenn, the primary American to orbit Earth, and is way larger and extra tough than the New Shepard rockets that experience carried vacationers to the fringes of house from Texas.
