Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes during testing in Florida
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the company confirming an anomaly but no personnel injuries. The incident follows a recent upper-stage failure in the rocket’s third launch and may delay NASA’s Artemis missions, where Blue Origin plays a key role.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket suffered an explosion during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to a live stream from NASASpaceFlight.com. The company later confirmed the incident via X, stating all personnel had been accounted for but providing no details on the cause. The explosion occurred ahead of an anticipated fourth launch in the coming weeks, raising concerns about further delays to the program. The test failure follows a recent setback in New Glenn’s third launch, where the upper stage failed to deliver a satellite for AST SpaceMobile into orbit, resulting in a total mission loss. Just last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had cleared New Glenn for another flight after Blue Origin completed an investigation into the previous failure. The latest anomaly may force an extended pause while the company investigates. Blue Origin has been developing New Glenn for over a decade, aiming to compete with SpaceX’s launch capabilities. The rocket is also set to support NASA’s Artemis missions to the moon, with the agency previously highlighting Blue Origin’s role in the program. The explosion comes as Blue Origin had planned up to 12 launches of New Glenn this year. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, commented on the incident via X, writing, ‘Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.’ NASA, the FAA, and the Space Force did not immediately respond to requests for further details. Blue Origin has not yet disclosed what caused the explosion or how long investigations may take.
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