Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during Florida test
The incident marks the second major setback for the heavy-lift vehicle in weeks, following a satellite delivery failure that triggered a federal investigation.
A Blue Origin rocket exploded during a test at a launch pad in Florida on Thursday night, shaking nearby homes and briefly illuminating the sky. Founder Jeff Bezos described the event as a "very rough day" and stated it was too early to determine the root cause of the incident. No injuries were reported, and the company confirmed that all personnel were accounted for.
The explosion involved the New Glenn heavy-lift vehicle during a static fire test. Blue Origin confirmed the event was an anomaly and stated its team is working to identify the cause. Bezos vowed to rebuild any damaged components and resume operations, though he did not specify a timeline for when the programme might return to flight.
This incident follows a separate failure last month where the New Glenn rocket failed to deliver a communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile into the correct orbit. The previous failure was attributed to thermal conditions that prevented one engine from achieving full thrust. That event prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require a mishap investigation, which Blue Origin completed earlier in May.
While the recent explosion follows the satellite delivery failure, a definitive link between the two events has not been established. The FAA regulates commercial space launches and mishap investigations in the United States, and the agency’s prior findings regarding the thermal issues remain distinct from the current static fire anomaly.
The incident has halted Amazon satellite plans associated with the New Glenn programme. Bezos noted on the platform X that it was too early to know the root cause, echoing the company’s statement that the team is focused on identifying the specific nature of the anomaly.
