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CAPE CANAVERAL—A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on its launchpad during a static test fire May 28 ahead of the company's fourth orbital flight.
The two-stage rocket was being prepared to fly its inaugural mission for Amazon Leo when the accident occurred shortly after 9 pm EDT at Cape Canaveral SFS Space Launch Complex-36 (SLC-36).
"We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test," Blue Origin wrote in an update posted on social media. "All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more."
"It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it," Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos added in a statement. "Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it."
SLC-36 is currently the only launchpad for New Glenn, a two-stage, partly reusable booster that debuted in January 2025. The rocket has flown three times, most recently on April 19. An upper-stage engine problem prevented the payload—AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite—from reaching its intended orbit.
Blue Origin completed an accident investigation, as required by the FAA, and was cleared to return New Glenn to flight. The rocket was being prepared to fly 48 satellites for Amazon's broadband constellation. A launch date had not yet been set.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the accident or the extent of damage to launchpad.
Click here for video of the explosion from Spaceflightnow.com.
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