'Very rough day': Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes in gigantic fireball, days after being selected for NASA moon missions
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a hotfire test at Cape Canaveral, causing significant damage and uncertainty for NASA's lunar plans. The explosion, one of the largest in American history, occurred just days after NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract for lunar missions. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the incident raises concerns about the future of the planned Moon Base.
- ▪The New Glenn rocket exploded seconds into a hotfire test at Cape Canaveral.
- ▪The explosion was powerful enough to be seen from 175 miles away and damaged the launchpad.
- ▪NASA had recently awarded Blue Origin a contract for lunar missions, including the delivery of payloads to the moon.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Space Space Exploration 'Very rough day': Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes in gigantic fireball, days after being selected for NASA moon missions The rocket explosion, a contender for the largest in American history, marks a significant setback for Jeff Bezos and NASA. By Ben Turner published 29 May 2026 in News When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Blue Origin New Glenn spacecraft exploding at NASA Cape Canaveral launch complex 36.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Live Science.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Live Science
