Blue Origin rocket explodes on the launch pad during an engine-firing
test
[May 29, 2026]
By MARCIA DUNN
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos' Blue
Origin exploded during a test at the launch pad Thursday night, shaking
nearby homes and briefly painting the sky orange.
Blue Origin said its New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine-firing
test being conducted ahead of a satellite launch planned for next week.
No one was hurt, according to officials at Cape Canaveral Space Force
Station.
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find
it," Bezos said via X. "Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs
rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
The massive New Glenn was grounded in April after it left a satellite in
the wrong orbit because of engine failure. It was only the third flight
of the rocket that Blue Origin intends to use to launch landers to the
moon for NASA, including the landers that will take astronauts to the
lunar surface.
The company had been on track to launch a prototype lunar lander to the
moon on a flight test this fall. Earlier this week, the space agency
awarded Blue Origin a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to
launch a pair of moon buggies in the next few years as part of the
Artemis program.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch
capability is extraordinarily difficult,” NASA Administrator Jared
Isaacman said via X. He promised to provide information on any impacts
to the Artemis program, including the moon base that he recently
outlined.
Homes shook in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach around 9 p.m., with
residents turning to social media to wonder what happened. Launch
Complex 36 is visible from the beach, and the internet quickly filled
with photos of an orange fireball.
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A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during an engine-firing test
on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (@JConcilus via
AP)
The rocket was supposed to blast off next week with internet
satellites that are part of the Amazon Leo constellation in orbit.
Emergency crews remained more than an hour after the explosion.
Officials stressed there was no threat due to fumes or other
potential hazards.
Space Force officials said the explosion would not affect upcoming
launches by other companies from other pads. United Launch
Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is due to blast off Friday night with a
batch of Amazon Leo satellites, the same kind that this rocket was
supposed to take up.
SpaceX's Elon Musk, who's had his own share of rocket explosions,
offered his condolences. “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover
quickly,” he told Blue Origin via X.
Towering at 321 feet (98 meters), New Glenn made its debut in 2025.
It is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, and
is much bigger and more powerful than the New Shepard rockets that
have carried tourists to the fringes of space from Texas.
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