AP Photo/John Raoux, File
- A Blue Origin rocket exploded on the launchpad on Thursday.
- The company said in a statement that all personnel have been accounted for.
- A video captured the dramatic moment the New Glenn rocket erupted in flames.
A Blue Origin rocket exploded on the launchpad during testing on Thursday night.
A video posted on X by Spaceflight Now, an online media outlet, captured the moment the New Glenn rocket erupted into a massive fireball, sending flames and thick smoke billowing into the air.
The explosion occurred around 9 p.m. ET during a test at Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In a statement uploaded to Facebook, launch site officials said emergency responders were on the scene and that there were no injuries or fatalities.
Blue Origin, owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, also addressed the incident in a statement posted on X.
"We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more," Blue Origin said.
In a follow-up X post on Friday morning, Blue Origin warned that debris from the explosion may wash ashore in the coming days and weeks, and advised that people stay away from it.
The rocket had been set to carry 48 satellites for Amazon's Leo internet service, though none were on board during the explosion, per The New York Times.
"It's too early to know the root cause but we're already working to find it," Bezos wrote on X. "Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it."
New Glenn made its maiden flight in January 2025. During its third mission in April, the rocket placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into a lower-than-planned orbit, preventing it from operating as intended. The incident prompted an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Last week, the FAA closed its probe into the incident and cleared New Glenn to return to flight.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said on Thursday that the space agency is "aware of the anomaly" involving the Blue Origin rocket.
"Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. 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. We will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available," he wrote in a statement on X.