NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has described spaceflight as 'unforgiving' following a dramatic explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The incident occurred shortly after 9pm local time on Thursday, May 28, as the company prepared for a planned test ahead of a mission scheduled for June 4.
Footage circulating online shows a detonation at the base of the rocket, followed by smoke rising up the shaft before a large explosion engulfed the vessel in a bright yellow flame. Blue Origin confirmed that all personnel are accounted for and safe. Jeff Bezos, the company's founder, stated: '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.'
Isaacman, in a post on X, said NASA would work with partners to investigate the anomaly and assess impacts on near-term missions, including the Artemis and Moon Base programs. The extent of damage to the launchpad and ground support equipment remains unknown, as do potential delays to the project.
The 321-foot (98-meter) New Glenn rocket, named after astronaut John Glenn, made its debut in 2025 and is significantly larger and more powerful than Blue Origin's New Shepard. It was set to carry internet satellites for Amazon's LEO constellation into orbit. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commented on the explosion, saying: 'Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.'
