Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test late on May 28, dealing a major setback to the space company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The incident occurred at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida while the heavy-lift rocket was undergoing testing ahead of a planned future mission. Footage shared online showed a large explosion and flames rising from the launch area as emergency crews responded to the scene.
Blue Origin confirmed that all personnel were safe and said no injuries had been reported. The company stated that teams were investigating the cause of the explosion and assessing damage to the launch infrastructure.
The New Glenn rocket is central to Blue Origin’s plans to compete with rivals such as SpaceX in launching satellites, cargo, and future deep-space missions. The rocket is designed to carry heavy payloads and play a key role in both commercial and government space contracts.
The explosion raised fresh questions over delays and technical challenges facing the programme, which has already experienced setbacks in development timelines. Analysts said the incident could further postpone upcoming launches as engineers work to identify what went wrong during testing.
Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 and has invested heavily in the company’s long-term goal of expanding commercial space travel and human missions beyond Earth.
