NewsUS NewsJeff BezosBillionaire Jeff Bezos admitted it was a 'rough day' after his Blue Origin rocket went up in flames with the explosion so forceful it rocked properties nearby in Florida09:07, 29 May 2026Rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin explodes during test at launch padThis is the moment Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket explodes in a fireball during a late-night launchpad test, shaking nearby homes.‌The mega-money projectile went up in flames in at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the devastated Amazon billionaire watching on. The incident took place shortly after 9pm local time on Thursday as it was preparing to fuel its New Glenn rocket ahead of a planned static fire test when the explosion occurred‌Bezos admitted it was a "very rough day" but there we thankfully no injuries reported. The aerospace company was prepping the rocket for a mission set for June 4, following its third successful launch last month. But things went wrong and the aircraft exploded.‌A detonation can be seen emanating from the base of the huge rocket, before smoke carries up the shaft before an explosion towards the pointy tip of the spaceship. Then, the entire vessel is engulfed in a huge, bright yellow plume of flame.The extent of the damage to the Blue Origin launchpad and relevant ground support equipment remains unknown. It is also unknown what delays the project will incur as a result of the explosion.‌Bezos vowed: "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."SpaceX owner Elon Musk has delivered a crushing verdict and simply said: " Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard." Blue Origin, owned and founded by entrepreneur Bezos, has shared a statement on the event.‌The official Blue Origin account wrote on X: "We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more."The rocket was supposed to blast off next week with internet satellites that are part of the Amazon LEO constellation in orbit. Towering at 321 feet (98 meters), New Glenn made its debut in 2025.Article continues belowIt 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. A NASA administrator has issued a statement after a massive explosion was reported at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.Jared Isaacman shared the following post on X in the early hours of this morning: "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."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Jeff BezosSpace