Blue Origin rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral

A rocket belonging to billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin exploded Thursday night in a bright orange fireball, shaking nearby homes. The New Glenn rocket blew up around 9 p.m. at a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. There were no injuries or fatalities, and all personnel were accounted for after the incident, Bezos said in a post. It was too early to determine the cause of the explosion, he added. Billowing clouds of smoke and fire erupted into the sky as the detonation was visible for miles in Brevard County. Local officials said there was no threat to the public due to the incident. However, Space Launch Delta 45, the wing of U.S. Space Force that controls the launch site, said debris could wash ashore on nearby beaches in the coming days.

Why was the rocket on the launch pad? The 320-foot-tall rocket was in the middle of an engine-firing test ahead of a satellite launch planned for June. It was set to put 48 Amazon internet satellites into orbit. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in a reply to Blue Origin on social media that he hoped the company would recover quickly.

Didn’t Blue Origin just sign a contract with NASA? The explosion occurred days after NASA announced a contract with Blue Origin worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The company is expected to deliver rovers to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to construct a moon base. Spaceflight can be unforgiving, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a post soon after the explosion. He said NASA would work with Blue Origin to investigate this anomaly and soon get back to launching rockets. U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., described the New Glenn as a critical launch vehicle for NASA's Artemis program.

Dig deeper: Read my report on NASA’s plans to build a moon base.