Blue Origin New Glenn Explodes at Launch Complex 36 as FAA Scrutiny Follows April Grounding
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 29
Blue Origin New Glenn Explodes at Launch Complex 36 as FAA Scrutiny Follows April Grounding
38 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 29
A New Glenn rocket blew up around 9 p.m. during a test at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36, sending up a fireball that shook homes in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.
Blue Origin called the blast an “anomaly” and said all personnel were accounted for, while local emergency officials said fumes and other hazards posed no public threat.
The explosion marks another setback for Jeff Bezos’s space company after New Glenn was grounded in April pending an investigation into an engine mishap; it was the rocket’s only launch pad.
The FAA had reportedly required that earlier probe and had not yet said whether Thursday’s blast would trigger another investigation.
The failure comes days after NASA picked Blue Origin over SpaceX for the first of 3 uncrewed lunar missions tied to a planned $20 billion moon-base effort and Artemis flights.
After a second major failure in two months, is Blue Origin's critical role in NASA's moon mission now in jeopardy?
With New Glenn's fiery setback, will competitors now win the multi-billion dollar race to build infrastructure on the moon?