A Blue Origin rocket exploded on a launchpad during a test at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The fiery incident took place on Thursday, May 28. The rocket was intended for the fourth New Glenn mission, which was set to carry 48 satellites for Amazon’s low-Earth orbit “LEO” internet service.
Blue Origin is a private American space technology company that was founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000. It reached orbit in January 2025 with the first launch of the New Glenn rocket before completing its 11th human spaceflight in April 2025 with an all-female crew including Katy Perry and Gayle King.
Earlier this year, the company chose to pause tourism launches in order to shift its focus to getting more resources to help with lunar landing efforts. The rocket launch test in May was meant to fire seven engines in the booster stage, but the explosion damaged the launchpad and surrounding equipment.
Multiple outlets have reported that it may take months to repair the launchpad — the only one Blue Origin has for the New Glenn rockets. Keep scrolling for more information on Blue Origin:
What Is Blue Origin and Who Owns It?
The privately funded aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded by Bezos. The company is focused on developing reusable rocket engines, suborbital and orbital launch vehicles, lunar landers and space station infrastructure.
Which Blue Origin Rocket Exploded?
In May 2026, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket blew up during a test on a launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Blue Origin reported the explosion in a post via X, referring to the incident as an “anomaly.”
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” read the post, which confirmed that all personnel were accounted for.
What Has Jeff Bezos Said About the Explosion?
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Bezos wrote via X. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
Who Else Addressed the Explosion?
U.S. Representative Mike Haridopolos confirmed he spoke with NASA administrator Jared Isaacman about the explosion, adding via X, “I am grateful there were no reported injuries and thankful for the first responders, engineers, and launch crews who acted quickly. Praying for Florida’s Space Coast and everyone involved. 🇺🇸.”
Isaacman, meanwhile, confirmed via X that NASA was investigating the incident.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” he wrote. “We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”
How Will the Explosion Impact NASA?
Amid NASA’s plans for moon travel, a New Glenn rocket was meant to help launch a Blue Moon lander during the 2027 Artemis III mission in low-Earth orbit. It is unclear what the explosion means for the upcoming trip, but Isaacman said he will provide any updates to the Artemis and Moon Base programs in the future.
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