Blue Origin endured a serious setback after its latest rocket test ended in dramatic failure.
The Jeff Bezos-founded space company carried out a test of its New Glenn rocket last night at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
However, the vehicle did not lift off. Moments after the test began, the rocket erupted in an explosion and was quickly consumed by a massive fireball.
According to The Guardian, the blast was so intense that the orange glow in the sky could be seen as far away as Fort Pierce, around 115 miles to the south.
New Glenn is the rocket Blue Origin plans to use for NASA lunar missions, including sending landers toward the moon as part of the agency’s broader push to establish a base on the lunar surface.
Following the incident on May 28, Bezos addressed the failed test, calling it a “very rough day”.
He wrote on Twitter: “All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it.
“Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
The failed test comes only days after Blue Origin was awarded a contract to launch the first of three planned missions this year tied to the initial build-out of its proposed $20 billion moon base project.
NASA responded to the incident by referring to the explosion as an “anomaly” and indicated it would work alongside its partners to determine what happened.
NASA administration Jared Isaacman tweeted: “NASA is aware of the anomaly that occurred tonight at Launch Complex 36 involving Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.
“We will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available.”
At this stage, it’s not known how the loss will change the timeline for this year’s planned missions. The explosion heavily damaged the Florida launch site, which is reportedly the only pad currently available for New Glenn operations.
Repairs could take months, potentially delaying future launches.
More to follow.