Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes on launchpad during test
A rocket built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Enterprises LP exploded late Thursday ahead of a planned launch next week.
The New Glenn heavy-lift vehicle was set to carry 48 of Amazon.com Inc.’s Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit. The retail and cloud giant is building an internet constellation designed to provide connectivity in remote areas. The satellites weren’t on the rocket at the time of the accident.
The explosion occurred during a static test, an exercise in which engineers activate a rocket’s engines at full thrust to check that they work. Ars Technica cited sources as saying that the explosion severely damaged the launch site. It’s believed that a lighting tower and a vehicle used to transport New Glenn to the launchpad are damaged beyond repair.
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Jeff Bezos wrote in a post on X. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
