Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes on Launchpad During Hotfire Test at Cape Canaveral

TLDR

• Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a hotfire test at Cape Canaveral late Thursday
• AST SpaceMobile shares dropped 11% and Rocket Lab fell 2.1% in premarket trading
• Jeff Bezos confirmed all personnel were safe and said the company would investigate and rebuild
• The explosion comes weeks after a failed satellite delivery mission in April
• NASA, which works with Blue Origin on its Artemis lunar lander, said it would support an investigation

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on its launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, late Thursday during a hotfire test, sending a massive fireball into the night sky.

The company confirmed the incident in a brief post on X, saying it had “experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test.” It added that all personnel were accounted for and safe.

Video footage showed smoke rising from beneath the 98-metre-tall rocket before it erupted into a large ball of fire at Launch Complex 36, around 9pm ET.

Florida congressman Mike Haridopolos, whose district includes Cape Canaveral, said he had been in contact with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and thanked first responders.

Space Stocks React to the Explosion

Investors moved quickly. AST SpaceMobile shares fell 11% in premarket trading Friday, while Rocket Lab dropped 2.1%. Both stocks had rallied nearly 90% over the past month.

Much of that rally was tied to growing excitement around a potential SpaceX IPO, which could value the company at more than $75 billion. The Blue Origin explosion may have given investors a reason to take profits after those sharp gains.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted his condolences on X, calling the incident “most unfortunate.”

A Second Setback in Two Months

The explosion is the latest in a string of problems for New Glenn. Last month, the rocket failed to deliver an AST SpaceMobile communications satellite into the correct orbit.

The US Federal Aviation Administration required Blue Origin to complete a mishap investigation following that failure. Blue Origin confirmed on May 22 that the FAA had approved its report and that corrective measures had been put in place. The cause was identified as thermal conditions that prevented one engine from reaching full thrust.

NASA and Blue Origin have been working together to build a lunar lander for the Artemis moon program. The space agency said it was aware of Thursday’s explosion and would assess any impact on near-term missions.

No injuries were reported from Thursday’s incident. The cause of the launchpad explosion is under investigation.

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