Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during Florida test, halting Amazon satellite plans
No injuries reported as company vows to rebuild; incident jeopardises timeline for broadband constellation rivaling SpaceX’s Starlink
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket suffered a catastrophic failure during a hot-fire test on Thursday evening, exploding on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The incident, which produced a massive fireball and towering plume of smoke, marks a significant setback for the company as it attempts to establish a reliable launch cadence in the commercial space market.
Blue Origin confirmed an anomaly occurred during the test, which involves firing a rocket engine while it is anchored to the ground. The company stated that all personnel were accounted for and safe, with no injuries reported. Officials assessed that there was no threat from fumes or other potential hazards, although emergency crews remained at the scene for more than an hour following the explosion.
Founder Jeff Bezos described the event as a "very rough day" but vowed to rebuild whatever was damaged and resume operations. He noted that it was too early to determine the root cause of the incident. The explosion follows a separate failure last month, where the New Glenn rocket failed to deliver a communications satellite into the correct orbit, prompting an ongoing investigation into the vehicle’s reliability.
The failure jeopardises Blue Origin’s plans to launch 48 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit. These missions are critical to the company’s strategy of building a broadband constellation designed to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink network. The incident also impacts Blue Origin’s broader schedule, which included up to 12 New Glenn launches in 2026, some of which were intended to support NASA’s Artemis lunar programme.
US House Representative Mike Haridopolos, whose district includes the launch site, confirmed he had contacted NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman regarding the explosion. Haridopolos expressed gratitude to first responders and launch crews for their quick actions. Meanwhile, Musk commented on the incident via social media, stating, “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.”
Construction is currently underway on a second launch site, LC-36B, which may be completed faster than repairing the damage to the current pad. The timeline for rebuilding the New Glenn rocket and resuming flights remains unspecified, leaving the future of the Amazon satellite launches in uncertainty.
