By 
May 29th, 2026
Image credit: NSF
The incident took place at roughly 9 p.m. Eastern Times. The explosion happened as the New Glenn’s seven BE-4 first-stage engines ignited for an on-the-pad test. The lost launcher was slated to support an Amazon Leo mission next week.
From NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman:
“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,” Isaacman posted. “We will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available.”
Go to: NSF – NASASpaceflight.com
Overview of the New Glenn explosion at:
https://x.com/i/status/2060180159831908651
From: Scott Manley “Blue Origin’s Rocket Explosion – How Bad Is It?”
Go to:
From Blue Origin: “Debris from our recent hotfire anomaly may wash ashore in the coming days/weeks. If you encounter any debris, do not touch or approach it for your safety.”
Please report the location immediately:
Call: 1-321-222-4355
Email: MissionRecovery@blueorigin.com
From: Jeff Bezos: “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.”
Posted in Space News
