Blue Origin explosion is a major setback for NASA’s Moon plans and Amazon’s Starlink competitor
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New Glenn’s only launchpad could take months to repair.
Key facts
To date Amazon has launched over 300 of the 1,618 Leo satellites the FCC requires by July 30, 2026
NASA announced on Tuesday that New Glenn would deliver a robotic lunar lander as soon as fall 2026
The New Glenn rocket that exploded Thursday night was being prepped to carry 48 Amazon Leo satellites, the largest batch ever slated for a single launch, into low-Earth orbit on an upcoming mission
The incident occurred at about 9pm at Blue Origin’s Florida launch site during a hot-fire test, where seven engines in the booster stage are lit while keeping the 322-foot-tall rocket fixed
Summary
While Blue Origin investigates the root cause behind last night’s spectacular explosion of its New Glenn rocket, it’s already clear that this will be a major setback for NASA’s Moon base plans and Amazon’s fledgling Leo space internet constellation. The incident occurred at about 9pm at Blue Origin’s Florida launch site during a hot-fire test, where seven engines in the booster stage are lit while keeping the 322-foot-tall rocket fixed to the launchpad. This content isn't visible due to your cookie preferences. “It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” wrote Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos on X. According to sources speaking to Ars Technica, the transporter-erector and one of the lightning towers at LC-36A may not be salvageable.