CAPE CANAVERAL, United States: Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded while on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, US media reported Thursday.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” the company said in a brief statement posted to X, adding that “all personnel have been accounted for.”
Blue Origin’s New Glenn just blew up at LC-36 while attempting to Static Fire ahead of NG-4.https://t.co/tANS0dWyIH pic.twitter.com/PztxFoBqIw
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 29, 2026
Blue Origin’s New Glenn’s heavy-lift orbital rocket designed to carry large satellites and payloads into space. Named after John Glenn, the launch vehicle was considered a major part of the company’s ambitions in the commercial space sector.
Video from the incident shows smoke emerging from beneath the rocket before it fully combusts into a massive fireball.
Florida congressman Mike Haridopolos, whose district includes Cape Canaveral, said in a statement on X that he has been in contact with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman regarding the explosion.
“I am grateful there were no reported injuries and thankful for the first responders, engineers, and launch crews who acted quickly,” Haridopolos said.
Here’s our video of the explosion at Launch Complex 36. It happened about 9 pm ET (0100 UTC) as Blue Origin was beginning a static fire test of its New Glenn rocket.
Watch live views: https://t.co/tm2wZQmAVD pic.twitter.com/PmbgQC6Qmq
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) May 29, 2026
The explosion is the latest setback for the space exploration company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos.
New Glenn completed its maiden launch in January 2025. During its second mission in November 2025, the rocket successfully deployed NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars probes and achieved Blue Origin’s first successful booster recovery at sea. The recovered booster was later reused during the vehicle’s third mission in April 2026.
Last month its New Glenn rocket failed a mission to deliver a communications satellite into the correct orbit, prompting an investigation.
Blue Origin said it was investigating the cause of the latest incident before resuming launch operations.
