Blue Origin Regains Access to Launch Complex 36 After 9 p.m. New Glenn Explosion
Updated
Updated · WESH 2 Orlando · May 31
Blue Origin Regains Access to Launch Complex 36 After 9 p.m. New Glenn Explosion
9 articles · Updated · WESH 2 Orlando · May 31
Blue Origin has regained some access to Launch Complex 36 and will soon begin clearing the pad after New Glenn exploded there during a 9 p.m. Thursday hotfire anomaly, CEO Dave Limp said.
Quick inspections found the booster and GS2s in the integration facility appear healthy, and no injuries were reported as investigators work to determine the cause of the blast.
Beachgoers from Playalinda Beach to Cocoa Beach were warned debris could wash ashore in coming days or weeks, with the company urging the public not to touch suspicious material.
NASA is assessing what the accident means for Artemis, which relies on New Glenn to launch Blue Origin lunar landers; one industry estimate put launchpad recovery at 12 to 18 months.
That timeline could pressure Artemis III, targeted for late 2027, even as other Cape Canaveral operators resumed launches less than 24 hours after the explosion.
With Blue Origin's rocket destroyed, is America's ambitious 2027 Moon landing mission now in serious jeopardy?
Can Amazon's satellite internet project survive this rocket failure and meet its critical government deadline?