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4w ago

Blue Origin Rocket Explodes During Hot-Fire Test at Cape Canaveral

Damage to Blue Origin’s sole New Glenn launch pad threatens near-term Amazon satellite missions while technical and regulatory investigations begin.

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Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was the site of a rocket anomaly Thursday, according to NASA.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during an engine-firing test on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (@JConcilus via AP)
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Overview

  • A New Glenn heavy-lift rocket erupted into a large fireball during a hot-fire engine test at Cape Canaveral on Thursday and the company said all personnel were accounted for.
  • Video and eyewitness accounts show the rocket burning from the base upward before the vehicle was destroyed and Launch Complex 36 sustained heavy damage.
  • Blue Origin was preparing the rocket to carry 48 Amazon Leo satellites but Amazon confirmed no satellites were aboard and the planned mission is now paused.
  • Officials and agencies including NASA and the U.S. Space Force are supporting Blue Origin’s probe while the FAA said the static test was outside its licensed launch activities and that it is monitoring the situation.
  • Repairing the single New Glenn pad is expected to take months, a delay that could ripple into Blue Origin’s commercial launch schedule and its work on NASA lunar contracts.