Blue Origin's New Glenn makes a crater-sized dent in Artemis plans

Science

A massive fireball e

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Explosion wrecks rocket and pad, leaving NASA's lunar ambitions looking less than launch-ready

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a ground test last night, causing extensive damage to the launchpad and putting another dent in NASA's lunar timetable.The rocket was erected at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 36. It was undergoing pre-flight testing, having been cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week following a second-stage anomaly that doomed AST SpaceMobile's Bluebird 7 satellite.The rocket was fueled for a static firing test of its seven BE-4 engines, during which it exploded. The force of the explosion appears to have comprehensively wrecked much of the ground infrastructure.