Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Test

Thursday, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket program suffered a blow, but not fatal, to the program, but the blast was astounding.

  Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test

It’s not the first time these things have happened,  Bezo’s competitor, Space X (Elon Musk) has had two explosions of similar nature in 2016 and in 2025.   Thursday, a launch pad test of the New Glenn Rocket ended with a huge blast that caused significant damage to their launch area in Florida.

Captured on Video by SpaceFlight Now on YouTube the rocket can be seen igniting its engines, then the fire spreads alarmingly to the upper structure, followed by the massive blast that destroyed the craft.

These images show the firing, then the flames expanding to the upper part of the craft. (Taken from the Space Flight YouTube Video–still images).

  Amazingly, No Injuries Reported

  Geekwire reports the 322 foot tall rocket was preparing to send up another 48 Amazon satellites as soon as next week, it was undergoing a launch pad test when the mishap occurred.

Amazon already has 300 low altitutde Leo satellites in orbit, launched in collaboration with some other companies rockets, including Space X.  Blue Origin is Bezos’ effort to develop a large, robust space travel program.

In the YouTube video filmed by Space Flight, an observer can be heard saying “they nuked the pad.”

Bezos and Amazon officials released statements saying space flight and travel can be unforgiving, dangerous, but the plan to rebuild and carry on.   Great developments and progress rarely come without setbacks.

US Coast Guard and other Officials said pieces of the rocket that were flung high into the sky could possibly have landed in the water nearby, and wold likely wash up on shore over the next week or so.