The incident is the most recent setback for Jeff Bezos’s house enterprise because it seeks to slender the hole with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Published On 29 May 2026
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has exploded on the launchpad throughout a take a look at in the US state of Florida.
The incident on Thursday night is the most recent setback for Jeff Bezos’s house enterprise because it seeks to slender the hole with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
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Footage of the incident exhibits smoke rising from beneath the rocket earlier than it erupts into a large fireball that billows skyward, sending a towering plume of flames and smoke into the air.
Emergency crews remained on the scene greater than an hour later, however officers mentioned there was no risk from fumes or different potential hazards.
No accidents have been reported.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” Blue Origin mentioned in a short assertion posted on X, including that “all personnel have been accounted for”.
A hot-fire take a look at is the place a rocket engine is fired up whereas anchored to the bottom.
In a separate X submit, Bezos mentioned it was “too early to know the root cause” of the incident.
“Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it,” Bezos added.
US House Representative Mike Haridopolos, whose Florida district contains the launch web site at Cape Canaveral, mentioned in a press release on X that he has been in contact with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman concerning the explosion.
“I am grateful there were no reported injuries and thankful for the first responders, engineers, and launch crews who acted quickly,” Haridopolos mentioned.
Blue Origin is making ready the New Glenn rocket to launch 48 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit, a part of efforts to construct a broadband constellation to rival Musk’s Starlink community.
Musk responded on X to a video of the New Glenn explosion, saying: “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.”
Last month, the New Glenn rocket failed a mission to ship a communications satellite tv for pc into the proper orbit, prompting an investigation.