What happened

An uncrewed Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on its Florida launchpad during a static-fire engine test on Thursday evening, 28 May 2026. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. Eastern Time at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Video showed the towering rocket igniting before erupting into a massive fireball that sent a plume of flames and smoke skyward, shaking homes in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.

Blue Origin confirmed it experienced an "anomaly" during the hot-fire test, where engines are fired while the vehicle is anchored to the ground. The company stated all personnel were accounted for and there were no injuries. Emergency officials reported no threat from fumes or other hazards.

“We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. We will provide updates as we learn more.”

Immediate aftermath

The US Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 unit issued a safety advisory warning that debris from the explosion could wash up on publicly accessible coastal areas in the coming days or weeks. The military urged the public not to touch any fragments and to call 911 for safe removal, noting that launch vehicle debris is "potentially dangerous" and direct contact may pose health risks. The Eastern Range maintained its operational capability for national security launches.

Multiple sources confirmed major damage to Blue Origin's launch site, LC-36A. The company invested years and at least hundreds of millions of dollars in the facility. One source familiar with pad rebuilds estimated that 15 months was a "best case" scenario for reconstruction, as Blue Origin has no alternative launch site for New Glenn.

Impact on missions

The rocket was being prepared for its fourth launch, intended to deliver 48 Amazon Leo broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit as part of a constellation to rival SpaceX's Starlink. The satellites were not integrated on the rocket at the time of the incident. The explosion comes just two days after NASA awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to land rovers on the moon's surface under the Artemis program, and less than a week after SpaceX carried out a largely successful test of its Starship rocket.

“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult.”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency would work with Blue Origin to support an investigation and would provide information on any impacts to its Artemis and Moon Base programs. The New Glenn was already grounded in April after its third flight left a satellite in the wrong orbit due to engine failure.

Industry reaction

Jeff Bezos addressed the failure on X, calling it a "very rough day" but vowing to rebuild and return to flight. He said it was too early to determine the root cause. Elon Musk expressed sympathy, posting "Very unfortunate. Rockets are hard." The explosion represents a significant setback in the competition between the two billionaire-led companies to return humans to the moon ahead of China's planned crewed mission in 2030.

“Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it.”

Broader implications

The failure is considered catastrophic not just for Blue Origin but for NASA and broad segments of the US space industry. Unlike SpaceX's iterative design philosophy of testing, flying, failing, and fixing, Blue Origin took a more traditional design route with New Glenn. The loss of the launch pad alone is expected to delay the program by at least a year, with preliminary work on nearby pad LC-36B and a California site at Vandenberg Space Force Base only just beginning.