Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket exploded in a massive fireball while undergoing a test on a Florida launchpad Thursday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The development is a major setback to the Jeff Bezos-backed firm in its efforts to challenge a dominant SpaceX. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The firm was\u00a0preparing the vehicle<\/a>\u00a0for its fourth launch, which was slated to\u00a0deploy a batch of satellites<\/a>\u00a0for Amazon.com\u2019s Leo, a rival satellite network to SpaceX\u2019s Starlink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n None of the satellites were on the rocket when it exploded, a spokesperson for Amazon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a post on X, Blue Origin said<\/a> the rocket experienced an \u201canomaly\u201d during the test. All personnel have been accounted for and are safe, the company said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Glenn, which is key to Blue Origin\u2019s plans for space exploration, is years behind schedule and has faced longer-than-expected waiting periods between flights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The explosion is the latest blow to its reputation as a reliable alternative to SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Blue Origin rocket is set to serve a key role in NASA\u2019s Artemis program, which aims to send humans back to the Moon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this week, NASA awarded Blue Origin a\u00a0lucrative contract<\/a>\u00a0to land rovers on the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the space agency will work with its partners to support a \u201cthorough investigation\u201d of the incident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NASA will provide any information on the impacts to the Artemis and lunar programs as it becomes available.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,\u201d Isaacman said in a post<\/a> on X. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, said it is aware of the failure and there was no impact on air traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities, the agency said, referring further questions to the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New Glenn rocket is also one of an elite group of vehicles that is supposed to deliver the most critical US national security satellites to orbit for the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecond major failure in two months<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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