Blue Origin Launch Pad Damaged After Rocket Explosion
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin is evaluating the damage to its launch pad following the explosion of a rocket during a test. The incident created a massive orange fireball that was visible and felt miles away. This occurred when Blue Origin fueled the New Glenn rocket, with an expectation to briefly ignite its engines for a satellite launch set next week. However, the 321-foot rocket exploded, destroying part of the pad.
Officials have advised the public to avoid any debris that might wash up and to report it by dialing 911. Named for John Glenn, the first American orbital astronaut, New Glenn is intended to transport landers to the moon for NASA’s Artemis program. This mission aims to establish a base near the lunar south pole, with the first moonwalks possibly by 2028. Earlier in the week, Blue Origin secured a NASA contract worth several hundred million dollars.
At the time of the explosion, there were no Amazon Leo satellites onboard the rocket. Another set of Amazon Leo satellites, which compete with SpaceX’s Starlinks to serve remote regions with internet, were stationed miles away. They awaited launch at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.
In under 12 hours following the explosion, SpaceX launched more Starlinks into orbit. CEO Elon Musk operates two pads, one at the Space Force station and another at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where the Falcon 9 took off. Blue Origin has a single pad in Florida, with its smaller New Shepard rockets launching from Texas for brief suborbital trips carrying tourists and experiments. These launches were on hold since January, as the company concentrated on New Glenn and moon missions. These plans are now paused, pending results from the explosion investigation.
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