New Glenn was undergoing testing before launching Amazon satellites; company says no one was injured
A New Glenn rocket, from billionaire Jeff Bezos’ space company, exploded on Thursday night (May 28, 2026) during an engine firing test on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. No one was injured, according to officials at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The explosion was recorded around 9pm local time (10pm in Brasília). According to the agency’s journalist, houses in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach shook after the explosion, which left the sky orange for a few moments. Images published on NASA’s social media showed a fireball in the platform region.
Blue Origin stated that it had identified a “anomaly” during the test. The company also said that all employees were located and were safe.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn just blew up at LC-36 while attempting to Static Fire ahead of NG-4.
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight)
Jeff Bezos on X that it is still too early to determine the cause of the explosion. “All employees have been located and are safe. It’s too early to know the cause, but we are already working to find it. Very difficult day, but we will rebuild what is necessary and get back to flying. It’s worth it”he declared.
The test was carried out before a launch scheduled for next week. The rocket would carry internet satellites from the Amazon Leo constellation, an Amazon project.
The United States Space Force reported that emergency teams remained on site and that authorities were working with Blue Origin to evaluate available data and determine the cause of the anomaly. It also stated that the explosion does not affect planned launches on other platforms.
Brevard County said there was no threat to the public. According to journalist Sareen Habeshian, from , the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration of the United States) declared that the test was not within the scope of activities licensed by the agency and that there was no impact on air traffic.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency will monitor the investigation. “Spaceflight is relentless, and developing heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term impacts to missions, and return to launching rockets.”he declared.
New Glenn is part of Blue Origin’s plans for large launches. The rocket is 98 meters high and debuted in 2025. Its name honors John Glenn, the first North American to orbit the Earth.
The explosion comes after New Glenn was grounded in April when it left a satellite in the wrong orbit because of an engine failure. Blue Origin also has contracts with NASA for missions under the Artemis program, which aims to take astronauts back to the lunar surface.
Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, a competitor to Blue Origin, blasted a post on X. “I’m sorry to see this. I hope you recover quickly”he declared.
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