The uncrewed Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a hot-fire ground test at a Florida launchpad, producing a large fireball. The vehicle was being prepared for a fourth flight to carry 48 Amazon Leo satellites, which were not onboard at the time. Blue Origin and NASA will investigate the anomaly; Jeff Bezos pledged to rebuild, and Elon Musk commented "Rockets are hard." The incident follows a recent $188 million NASA contract awarded to Blue Origin for lunar rovers.
Blue Origin's New Glenn Explodes During Florida Hot-Fire Test, Major Setback for Bezos' Space Ambitions
Fire and smoke rise from the launch pad of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket as it explodes during a test, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., May 28, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Courtney Blair/via REUTERS
May 28 (Reuters) - An uncrewed Blue Origin New Glenn rocket suffered a catastrophic failure during a hot-fire test on a Florida launchpad on Thursday, producing a massive fireball and column of smoke that was captured on livestream. The incident represents a significant setback for Jeff Bezos' space venture as it works to catch up with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Footage shared by NASASpaceflight showed the towering New Glenn ignite on the pad at about 9:00 p.m. ET (0100 GMT Friday) before erupting into a fierce blaze. Blue Origin said the vehicle experienced an "anomaly" during the ground test, in which engines are fired while the rocket is held on the pad.
The rocket was being readied for what would have been its fourth launch, a mission planned to carry 48 Amazon Leo satellites to low-Earth orbit as part of Amazon's effort to build a broadband constellation to compete with SpaceX's Starlink. A source familiar with the matter said the Amazon Leo satellites were not integrated on the vehicle at the time of the test.
Program Impact and Reactions
The explosion is the latest challenge for the long-delayed New Glenn program, which Blue Origin has pitched as a key capability for hauling lunar landers and cargo for NASA's Artemis efforts. The mishap occurred two days after NASA awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to deliver rovers to the lunar surface.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos posted on X:
"Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it."He added it was too early to determine the root cause.
NASA said it would work with Blue Origin and support an investigation into the incident, noting the inherent difficulty of developing new heavy-lift launch capability. Separately, Elon Musk posted on X in response to video of the blast: "Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard."
Context
Blue Origin has invested billions and nearly a decade into New Glenn, a 29-story rocket with a reusable first stage designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon family and larger Starship vehicle. SpaceX itself has faced high-profile test failures in recent years, including a Starship prototype explosion in Texas in 2023 and a partial success in a recent test flight that ended with the Super Heavy booster failing to achieve a controlled landing.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident but that it fell outside the agency's scope and did not affect regional air traffic.
(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru and Joe Brock in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kate Mayberry)
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