Blue Origin Rocket Explodes During Test Firing

An anomaly occurred during a "hotfire" test of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, resulting in an explosion and a large fireball. The incident, which took place on the launchpad while the rocket was still secured to the ground, was visible during a live broadcast.

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There was an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All personnel are safe. We will share more information as it becomes available.

Blue Origin confirmed the anomaly on social media platform X, stating that all personnel were safe and that more information would be released as it became available. Company founder Jeff Bezos acknowledged the "very tough day" and expressed determination to fix what was broken and fly again, emphasizing that the effort is "worth the effort."

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It is still too early to speak about the cause of the accident, but we are already working to determine it. A very tough day. But we will rebuild whatever needs to be rebuilt, and we will fly again. It is worth the effort.

The failure represents a significant setback for Blue Origin's ambitions to compete with SpaceX, which currently dominates the commercial space launch market. This was to be the fourth launch of the New Glenn rocket, which first reached space in January 2025. Previous missions included carrying NASA orbiters to Mars and, in April, successfully launching but placing a satellite in the wrong orbit, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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Indeed an unfortunate event. Rockets are hard.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency was aware of the anomaly and acknowledged the demanding nature of developing heavy-lift launch systems. He assured that NASA would work with its partners on a thorough investigation, assess the immediate impact on planned missions, and resume rocket launches. Information regarding the potential effects on the Artemis and Moon Base programs will be shared as it becomes available.

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We are aware of the anomaly. Spaceflight does not forgive mistakes, and the development of new heavy launch systems is extremely demanding. With our partners, we will work on a thorough investigation of this incident, assess its short-term consequences for planned missions, and return to rocket launches.