LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

BLUE ORIGIN’S NEW Glenn rocket exploded during a test on Thursday on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, though officials said no injuries were reported from the incident.

It could set back the company’s plans to build a base at the Moon’s South Pole by 2028.

“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” Blue Origin said in a brief statement posted to X, adding that “all personnel have been accounted for.”

Video from the incident shows smoke emerging from beneath the rocket – which stands 98 metres tall – before it fully combusts into a massive fireball.

The explosion is the latest setback for the space exploration company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, and the New Glenn rocket is at the heart of the company’s space ambitions.

“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Bezos said on X shortly after the explosion.

“Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”

Elon Musk, who founded Blue Origin rival company SpaceX, offered his condolences, calling the accident “most unfortunate” and adding: “Rockets are hard.”

Here's our video of the explosion at Launch Complex 36. It happened about 9 pm ET (0100 UTC) as Blue Origin was beginning a static fire test of its New Glenn rocket.

Watch live views: https://t.co/tm2wZQmAVD pic.twitter.com/PmbgQC6Qmq

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) May 29, 2026

‘Spaceflight is unforgiving’ 

Florida congressman Mike Haridopolos, whose district includes Cape Canaveral, said in a statement on X that he has been in contact with Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman regarding the explosion.

“I am grateful there were no reported injuries and thankful for the first responders, engineers, and launch crews who acted quickly,” Haridopolos said.

Nasa and Blue Origin had been working together to develop a lunar lander for its Artemis moon missions.

NASA is aware of the anomaly that occurred tonight at Launch Complex 36 involving Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. ⁰⁰Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with…

— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) May 29, 2026

Isaacman for his part said Nasa was aware of the explosion.

“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” he wrote on X.

“We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”

The setback comes just days after Isaacman announced the first three missions of the agency’s plans to build a “permanent presence” on the Moon.

Last month, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket failed a mission to deliver a communications satellite into the correct orbit, prompting an investigation.

Although the company successfully reused and recovered a booster for the New Glenn rocket, the uncrewed mission did not deliver the satellite from the company AST SpaceMobile.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response said it required Blue Origin to conduct a “mishap investigation,” which was completed earlier this month.

“The FAA has approved our NG-3 report, and corrective measures have been implemented,” Blue Origin said on 22 May, explaining that thermal conditions caused one of the rocket’s engines to not achieve its full thrust, causing it to miss its target orbit.

- © AFP 2026