Overview
- Video and eyewitness accounts show the New Glenn blew apart during a hotfire (static engine) test at Launch Complex 36, producing a large fireball and shockwave that shook nearby homes but caused no reported injuries.
- Blue Origin called the event an “anomaly,” said all personnel were accounted for, and opened an internal investigation while pausing preparations for the rocket’s planned fourth flight.
- The FAA, NASA and U.S. Space Force have been notified and are reviewing the incident; the FAA said the hotfire was outside its authorized activities and reported no impact to air traffic.
- The vehicle was not carrying Amazon/Leo satellites at the time, but the explosion threatens the schedule to deploy 48 satellites and raises short-term questions about Blue Origin’s reliability for commercial launches and NASA lunar contracts.
- The failure follows a motor problem in April that left a satellite in the wrong orbit, and it deepens scrutiny of New Glenn’s development as Blue Origin works to prove a heavy, reusable launcher against SpaceX and meet Artemis-related commitments.