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A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a hot-fire test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday night, May 28, 2026, in a serious setback for Jeff Bezos’s space company as it prepared for another orbital mission. Blue Origin described the event as an “anomaly” and said all personnel were accounted for, with no injuries reported, according to Reuters.
Key Facts From the Explosion
The explosion happened at about 9 p.m. ET during an engine-firing test on the launch pad. A hot-fire test, also called a static fire, is a prelaunch procedure in which a rocket’s engines are briefly fired while the vehicle remains secured to the ground, local outlet Spectrum News 13 reported.
The rocket was not carrying a payload at the time of the test. Blue Origin had been preparing New Glenn for a mission expected to carry 48 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit, part of Amazon’s broadband satellite constellation, Reuters reported.
Footage published by the BBC video page showed the rocket igniting on the pad before erupting into a large fireball. The blast shook homes in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, according to the Associated Press.
Latest Verified Update
As of May 29, 2026, Blue Origin had not announced a cause. The company said it would provide updates as it learned more. Space Launch Delta 45 Public Affairs Media Operations Chief Emre Kelly said emergency responders were on scene, all personnel were accounted for, and no injuries or deaths had been reported, according to local reporting.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident, but the agency described the ground-test event as outside its scope and said it did not affect regional air traffic, according to Reuters.
Why New Glenn Matters
New Glenn is Blue Origin’s heavy-lift orbital rocket and one of the company’s main vehicles for competing in commercial satellite launches, national security missions, and NASA lunar work. The rocket stands about 321 feet, or 98 meters, and is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, according to the Associated Press report.
The May 28 explosion came only days after the FAA closed an earlier mishap investigation involving New Glenn’s third flight on April 19, 2026. In that case, the FAA said a cryogenic leak froze a hydraulic line and led to a thrust anomaly during the second-stage engine burn. The agency said Blue Origin had identified nine corrective actions, and New Glenn was authorized to return to flight if all other licensing requirements were met, according to the FAA statement.
The timing also matters for NASA. On May 26, 2026, NASA announced new Moon Base contracts and said Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander would be used for a Moon Base I mission targeted no earlier than fall 2026. NASA also awarded Blue Origin $188 million, with an option period worth $280.4 million, for task orders tied to delivering rovers to the Moon’s South Pole region, the agency said in a NASA update.
What Happens Next
The immediate next step is a technical investigation by Blue Origin and range officials to determine what failed during the hot-fire test. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency would support a thorough investigation and assess any near-term impacts to Artemis and Moon Base programs, Reuters reported.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said it was too early to know the root cause and that the company would rebuild what needed to be rebuilt. No new launch date for the affected New Glenn mission had been confirmed as of the latest available reports, according to the Associated Press.
For Blue Origin, the incident adds pressure to a launch program already trying to move from development into regular operations. The confirmed facts remain limited: the rocket exploded during a ground test, personnel were safe, the cause remains unknown, and the investigation will determine whether the failure delays New Glenn’s commercial and NASA-linked schedule.
