Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes on Florida launch pad

A New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station around 9pm EDT, destroying the vehicle and major launch pad infrastructure. The test involved a brief firing countdown for the rocket’s seven BE-4 methane-fueled engines, with the rocket fully loaded with methane and liquid oxygen when it detonated. All personnel were accounted for and safe. The erector-gantry used to move the rocket and raise it to vertical was no longer visible after the blast, and one of two lightning towers toppled. Launch Complex 36, the only pad capable of launching New Glenn, was heavily damaged, and no timeline was provided for returning to flight or rebuilding. The failure threatens an upcoming mission carrying Amazon broadband satellites.

"Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday night, sending a fireball into the sky and destroying the vehicle along with critical launch pad infrastructure. The explosion occurred at approximately 9pm EDT as engineers were counting down to a brief test firing of the rocket's seven BE-4 methane-fuelled engines. The rocket was fully loaded with methane fuel and liquid oxygen when it detonated."

"All personnel were accounted for and safe. Jeff Bezos posted on X shortly after the incident, saying it was too early to know the root cause but that the company would rebuild whatever needs rebuilding. Blue Origin described the event only as an “anomaly.”"

"As the smoke cleared, the erector-gantry used to move New Glenn from its hangar to the pad and raise it to vertical was no longer visible. One of two lightning towers had toppled. The explosion is one of the largest rocket failures in US history, and the first on-pad detonation at the Cape since a SpaceX Falcon 9 blew up on nearby pad 40 on 1 September 2016."

"Launch Complex 36 is the only pad equipped to launch New Glenn. When SpaceX lost pad 40 in 2016, the Falcon 9 was grounded for three and a half months and the pad itself was out of action for more than a year. Blue Origin has not provided a timeline for returning to flight or for rebuilding the pad infrastructure."

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