Blue Origin Stays Eligible for US Military Launch Bids After New Glenn Explodes in Final Test
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 4
Blue Origin Stays Eligible for US Military Launch Bids After New Glenn Explodes in Final Test
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 4
Summary
Blue Origin remains eligible for Space Force certification to bid on major US military launch missions despite last week's New Glenn explosion, keeping it in contention with SpaceX.
The Space Force said the blast happened during a final hot fire test on a Florida launchpad, not during an actual launch, preserving Blue Origin's path in the procurement process.
New Glenn is Blue Origin's flagship orbital-class rocket, and certification would open access to lucrative national security launch contracts now dominated by SpaceX.
The decision signals the Pentagon is treating the incident as a pre-launch test failure rather than a disqualifying launch mishap as it weighs future competition in military space access.