A Blue Origin launch vehicle exploded during a ground test in Florida. No one was injured, but this marks the company’s worst setback in its history.
What happened?
Blue Origin conducted a static fire test of the New Glenn rocket at the launch pad in Cape Canaveral. This procedure involves fully fueling the rocket and briefly firing the engines without actually launching it. The test is conducted prior to the next mission.
The rocket was fully fueled, making the explosion one of the largest in the history of the U.S. rocket industry. Bezos posted on social media that all personnel were safe, but the company has not yet disclosed the cause of the accident, referring to it simply as an “anomaly.”
The New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 28, 2026. Source: Spaceflight Now
A blow to Amazon’s ambitions
This launch was supposed to be the first of 24 that Amazon had ordered for the deployment of its own Leo satellite internet service, a competitor to Starlink. It was the New Glenn rocket that was supposed to launch the network’s first satellites into orbit.
There were no satellites on board during the test. Amazon confirmed this late Thursday evening. However, the rocket itself was destroyed, and the launch program will now be suspended indefinitely.
Troubled year for the company
New Glenn has completed only three flights. The first, in January 2025, succeeded in reaching orbit, although the booster stage could not be landed at that time. The second, in November 2025, was a success. The company launched two spacecraft to Mars for NASA and recovered the first stage for the first time.
The third flight in April 2026 demonstrated that a used booster could be relaunched and landed again. However, during that same mission, an upper stage failure occurred, resulting in the loss of AST SpaceMobile’s satellite. Now, even before the fourth launch, a ground accident has compounded these setbacks.
Blue Origin is one of NASA’s partners in the Artemis lunar program. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency will support the investigation into the accident and will announce the implications for its lunar plans as soon as details become available. Blue Origin had also been expecting to receive contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense to launch satellites as part of national security programs.
According to techcrunch.com
