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Updated ,first published
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket has dramatically exploded on the launchpad during a test, in a setback for Jeff Bezos’ space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Video posted by NASASpaceflight, a YouTube channel that livestreams launches from Florida, showed the New Glenn igniting on the pad at about 2100 ET (0200 GMT on Friday) before erupting into a massive fireball that billowed skyward, sending a towering plume of flames and smoke into the air.
Blue Origin said it had experienced an “anomaly”, a term commonly used by rocket companies to describe a launch failure or explosion.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” the company said in a post on X.
A hot-fire test is where a rocket engine is fired up while anchored to the ground.
In a separate X post, Bezos said 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,” he said.
Blue Origin said on Wednesday it was preparing the New Glenn rocket to launch 48 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit, part of efforts to build a broadband constellation to rival Musk’s Starlink network. It did not provide a launch date.
Homes shook in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, with residents turning to social media to wonder what happened. Launch Complex 36 is visible from the beach, and the internet quickly filled with photos of an orange fireball.
Emergency crews remained more than an hour after the explosion. Officials stressed there was no threat due to fumes or other potential hazards.
Blue Origin has spent billions of dollars and roughly a decade developing New Glenn, a rocket 29-storeys high with a reusable first stage meant to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon fleet and its more powerful Starship.
New Glenn made its debut in 2025. It is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, and is much bigger and more powerful than the New Shepard rockets that have carried tourists to the fringes of space from Texas.
The massive rocket was grounded in April after it left a satellite in the wrong orbit because of engine failure. It was only the third flight of the rocket that Blue Origin intends to use to launch landers to the moon for NASA, including the landers that will take astronauts to the lunar surface.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency was aware of the incident.
Isaacman also added that NASA would provide information on any impacts to its Artemis and Moon Base programs.
Earlier this week, NASA awarded Blue Origin a $US188 million contract to deliver rovers to the moon’s surface using its uncrewed cargo lunar lander, Mark 1, as part of NASA’s broader Artemis lunar exploration missions.
Musk responded on X to a video of the New Glenn explosion, saying: “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.”
SpaceX, which unveiled its plans for an IPO earlier this month and is set to become the first trillion-dollar US market debut, has also faced setbacks.
In June last year, its massive Starship spacecraft exploded in a similarly dramatic fireball during testing in Texas while preparing for a test flight.
SpaceX was partly successful in its 12th test flight of a Starship prototype last week after it deployed a clutch of mock satellites and executed a controlled splashdown of the spacecraft in the Indian Ocean.
But the Musk-owned company failed to achieve a controlled landing of the Super Heavy booster, which tumbled into the Gulf of Mexico.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident, but added that it was outside its scope and did not impact air traffic in the region.
Reuters and AP
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