An uncrewed New Glenn rocket built by Blue Origin exploded during a late-night engine test at a launchpad in Florida, reported Reuters. This incident marked a major setback for founder Jeff Bezos and the company’s plans to compete with SpaceX in the commercial space race.

The rocket erupted into flames during a hot-fire test at Cape Canaveral before its planned fourth mission. Video footage that went viral online showed the 29-story rocket firing its engines for a few seconds before a giant fireball consumed the launchpad. Thick smoke and flames shot into the night sky as emergency teams rushed to contain the blaze.

Blue Origin later confirmed the incident and described it as an “anomaly” during ground testing. The company did not report any injuries. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it,” Bezos wrote on X. He also said it was too early to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

The rocket was preparing for a mission that aimed to place 48 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit. The satellites are part of Amazon’s effort to build a broadband internet network that can compete with SpaceX’s Starlink system. A source familiar with the matter said the satellites were not attached to the rocket during the test, preventing a larger financial loss.

Uncertainty over Blue Origin’s New Glenn program

The failure creates uncertainty around Blue Origin’s long-delayed New Glenn program. The heavy-lift rocket plays a key role in the company’s future business plans and NASA partnerships, reported Reuters.

Blue Origin spent nearly a decade and billions of dollars developing New Glenn. The rocket includes a reusable first-stage booster designed to reduce launch costs and compete directly with SpaceX’s Falcon rockets and the much larger Starship system.

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NASA selected Blue Origin for several major projects linked to the Artemis moon program. The rocket is expected to carry lunar landers, cargo, scientific equipment and future infrastructure missions connected to America’s return to the moon.

The explosion came only two days after NASA awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to land robotic rovers on the lunar surface, reported Reuters. 

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the space agency would support the investigation into the accident. “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” Isaacman wrote on X. He added that NASA would later share details about possible impacts on Artemis and Moon Base missions.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said it knew about the incident but added that the test fell outside its regulatory scope because the rocket never launched. The agency also said the explosion did not affect air traffic operations in the region.

Can Blue Origin still catch SpaceX?

The accident adds pressure on Blue Origin as it tries to close the large gap with Elon Musk’s rapidly growing SpaceX business.

SpaceX already dominates the commercial launch market with frequent Falcon 9 missions and aggressive testing of its next-generation Starship rocket. Earlier this month, SpaceX carried out another major Starship test flight, reported Reuters. The mission succeeded in deploying mock satellites and guiding the spacecraft to a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

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However, the company also faced problems during the same mission after the Super Heavy booster lost control and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. Musk reacted to the Blue Origin explosion on X saying, “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.”

NASA wants both companies to help return astronauts to the moon before China attempts its own crewed lunar mission planned for 2030. Blue Origin hoped New Glenn would become the centerpiece of that effort. The rocket was designed to launch large satellites, military payloads and deep-space missions while also supporting commercial customers, reported Reuters.

Industry analysts said the latest explosion could delay future launches and increase pressure on Blue Origin engineers to prove the rocket’s reliability. The company already faced criticism for repeated delays in the New Glenn program over the past several years.

However, experts believe Blue Origin still has the financial resources and government backing needed to recover. Bezos has invested billions of dollars from his Amazon fortune into the company and repeatedly said he views space development as a long-term project, reported Reuters.