Blue Origin New Glen rocket explodes during launch pad test in Florida

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Florida: A Blue Origin New Glen Rocket exploded on Thursday night (local time) during a hotfire test at Cape Canaveral in Florida, according to a news report by CBS News.

According to CBS News, the explosion occurred at approximately 9 pm ET at Space Launch Complex 36 during preparations were underway for a planned static fire test of the rocket’s engines. No injuries or casualties were reported in the incident.

In a statement shared on X, Blue Origin confirmed the anomaly and said all personnel involved in the test were safe.

“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” the company posted.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station separately confirmed that “all personnel have been accounted for and there were no injuries/fatalities.”

According to CBS News, the New Glenn rocket was being fueled ahead of the engine test. The rocket had been slated for its fourth mission as early as June 4, carrying 48 satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper low-Earth orbit internet constellation, a competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink service. The satellites were not aboard the rocket during the incident.

The report further stated that it remains unclear how extensively the launch pad and associated ground systems were damaged or how long repairs may take. Space Launch Complex 36 is currently the only launch pad capable of supporting New Glenn rocket launches.

CBS News further stated that the New Glenn rocket is a critical component in both the company’s Blue Moon lunar lander program and NASA’s Artemis moon exploration plans. Another Blue Moon lander is expected to launch aboard New Glenn next year in support of the Artemis III mission.

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The rocket had only recently been cleared to resume flights after a previous anomaly during an April 19 launch led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding the vehicle for further review. However, the FAA said on Thursday (local time) that it was aware the rocket had “experienced an anomaly during a static fire test on the pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida,” but noted that “the test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities.”

The agency also said there was “no impact to air traffic” from the explosion.

In response to Blue Origin’s post, in a post on X, Elon Musk responded to the incident and said, “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”

In a post on X, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos also addressed the explosion and said, “All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause, but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”

In a post on X, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency was monitoring the situation closely.

“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,” Isaacman said.

He added, “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.”

(Source: ANI)

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