Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes on launchpad during ground test
The first stage of Blue Origin’s “Never Tell Me The Odds” New Glenn rocket returns to Port Canaveral, United States, on April 19, 2023. The booster is located on the Jacklyn drone ship and landed here after a successful launch. This marks the first time Blue Origin has reused the same first stage. (Photo: Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded Thursday night during a hot-fire test at the Space Force launch facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Blue Origin, led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is working on reusable rockets and launch services to rival those offered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. While the vehicle is fixed on the launch pad, the rocket engines are ignited and a hot fire test is performed on the ground.
Bezos said A post on social network X stated that all staff were safe following the explosion.
“All personnel are responsible and safe. It is too early to know the root cause but we are already trying to find it. It is a very difficult day, but we will rebuild everything that needs to be rebuilt and get back to flying. It will be worth it.”
The Brevard County Emergency Management office described the incident as follows: public announcement It was deemed an “anomaly” that “posed no threat to the public.”
Musk also reacted to the explosion in xwrites: “Very unfortunate. Rockets are difficult.”
The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial space operations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the explosion.
The incident occurred a day after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the incident occurred. praised Blue Origin For playing a key role in the space agency’s Artemis program, an effort to return American astronauts to the Moon’s surface in 2028.
In a speech on Wednesday, he also announced that NASA gave the award to Blue Origin. $188 million contract To help build the Moon Base.
Isaacman after the New Glenn exploded on the launch pad on Thursday. wrote to x It said the agency was “aware” of the incident and would “provide information on any impact to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available.”
“Space flight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” he said.
“We will work with our partners to support a comprehensive investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and return to rocket launches.”
