Blue Origin rocket erupts in fireball on launchpad during test

An uncrewed Blue ‌Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on the launchpad during a test on Thursday, in a setback for Jeff Bezos' space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The livestream video showed the New Glenn igniting ​on the pad at about 2100 ET (0200 GMT on Friday) before erupting into a massive fireball that billowed skyward, sending a ​towering plume of flames and smoke into the air.

"We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All ​personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more," said Blue Origin in a post on X.

A ​hotfire test is where a rocket engine is fired up while anchored to the ground.

No injuries were reported. Florida congressman Mike Haridopolos said he had been in contact with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman following the explosion and expressed gratitude for the rapid action of first responders and launch crews on the scene.

In a separate X post, Bezos said it was "too early to know the root cause" of the incident. "Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it."

Isaacman said the agency was aware of the incident.

"Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of ​this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets," he said on X.

Isaacman also added that NASA would ​provide information on any impacts to its Artemis and Moon Base programs.

The setback came just days after NASA awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to deliver rovers to the moon using the company's uncrewed Mark 1 lunar cargo lander as part of the Artemis program.

'Rockets are hard'

Bezos' Blue Origin has been going head-to-head with Musk's SpaceX to design the lunar landers NASA will use, and help return people to the moon.

Musk responded to footage of the explosion on X, writing,"Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard."

SpaceX has experienced similar setbacks with its own Starship program. Last year, a Starship prototype exploded during testing in Texas, while its 12th test flight achieved partial success by deploying mock satellites and completing a controlled splashdown, though the Super Heavy booster failed to land properly.

Blue Origin has spent billions of dollars and roughly a decade developing New Glenn, a 29-story-high rocket with a reusable first stage designed ​to compete with SpaceX's Falcon fleet and its more powerful Starship.

The company said on Wednesday it was preparing New Glenn to launch 48 Amazon satellites into low-Earth orbit as part of Amazon's planned broadband constellation, to rival SpaceX's Starlink network.

The explosion follows another recent setback for New Glenn. Last month, the rocket failed to place a communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile into the correct orbit, prompting a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation. Blue Origin later said thermal conditions prevented one of the rocket's engines from achieving full thrust and has completed corrective measures.

Following Thursday's explosion, the FAA said it was aware of the incident, but added that it was outside its scope and did not impact air traffic in the region.

(With input from agencies)