Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin faces a major setback as its New Glenn rocket exploded during engine testing, impacting its competition with SpaceX in the commercial space race.
Key Points
- Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a hot-fire engine test at Cape Canaveral.
- The explosion is a significant setback for Blue Origin's ambitions to compete with SpaceX.
- The incident occurred during testing of the 29-storey New Glenn rocket, designed to rival SpaceX's Falcon rockets.
- The FAA is aware of the incident, and NASA will support an investigation into the cause of the explosion.
- Despite the setback, Jeff Bezos has vowed to rebuild and continue the space programme.
An uncrewed New Glenn rocket developed by Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin exploded during an engine-firing test at a launch pad in Florida, marking a major setback for the company as it seeks to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX in the commercial space race.
The explosion occurred late Thursday night at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a 'hot-fire' test, in which rocket engines are ignited while the vehicle remains anchored to the ground.
Videos circulating on social media showed the massive rocket erupting into a huge fireball moments after ignition, lighting up the night sky and sending flames and smoke billowing into the air.
Blue Origin confirmed the incident in a brief statement on X, saying it had experienced an 'anomaly' during the test.
"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.
Blast Rattles Nearby Homes
According to media reports, homes in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach shook from the blast, while emergency officials said there was no threat from fumes or other hazards.
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was aware of the incident, but noted that the explosion did not affect regional air traffic operations.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jared Isaacman said the US space agency would support an investigation into the incident and assess any impact on future missions.
'Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,' Isaacman said in a post on X.
Bezos also reacted to the explosion, saying it was 'too early to know the root cause'.
'Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it,' he posted on X.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk responded to a video of the blast with a brief message saying, 'Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.'
Blue Origin's Space Ambitions Face Setback
Blue Origin has spent nearly a decade and billions of dollars developing the 29-storey-tall New Glenn rocket, which features a reusable first stage and is designed to rival SpaceX’s Falcon rockets and the more powerful Starship system.
The rocket had made its debut earlier this year and was grounded in April after an engine failure reportedly left a satellite in the wrong orbit.
Impact on NASA and Amazon Projects
The latest setback comes days after NASA awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to deliver rovers to the Moon using its cargo lunar lander as part of the Artemis lunar exploration programme.
Blue Origin is also preparing New Glenn to launch Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites aimed at building a broadband internet constellation to compete with Musk's Starlink network.
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