On May 28 at 9:31 PM local time, a heavy-lift New Glenn rocket owned by Jeff Bezos' aerospace company Blue Origin exploded during static fire testing at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The incident occurred at Launch Complex 36 of the US Space Force base.
The company's press service officially stated that no one was injured. The Brevard County Emergency Operations Center confirmed there was no threat to the local population. Blue Origin specialists are working urgently with NASA to determine the cause of the anomaly.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized in an official statement that the agency would provide full support for a thorough investigation. He noted that developing new heavy-lift vehicles is an extraordinarily complex process. NASA plans to keep the public informed about the impact of the accident on key Artemis and Moon Base programs.
The major accident occurred just two days after Isaacman publicly announced an acceleration of the lunar program and the distribution of new contracts on May 26. Under these agreements, Blue Origin received $188 million to deliver rovers and cargo to the Moon's south pole using its uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 lander (Moon Base I mission scheduled for fall 2026).
Due to delays in SpaceX's development of the crew lander for Artemis III and IV, NASA had previously asked both companies for ideas to accelerate the crewed Artemis III flight. Rocket assembly for this mission is set to begin this summer, with a launch window targeted for mid-2027. The total value of Blue Origin's lunar contract with NASA is estimated at $3.4 billion.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos reacted on social media platform X, confirming personnel safety and calling the day "very tough." Bezos said it is too early to determine the root cause, but the team has already begun an investigation. He stated the company will rebuild everything necessary to return to flight as soon as possible, because "this goal is worth it."
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressed condolences to his competitor, calling the New Glenn explosion a "highly regrettable" event. At the political level, Congressman Mike Haridopolos confirmed coordination, reporting direct talks with NASA Administrator Isaacman immediately after the incident. Haridopolos thanked engineers, launch crews, and emergency services for quickly mitigating the anomaly and preventing injuries.
The US currently maintains plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2028, aiming to outpace its main space competitor, China. The agency relies on the recent success of the precursor Artemis II mission, in which four astronauts orbited the Moon aboard the Integrity spacecraft in early April.
Source: podrobno.uz