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A rocket built by Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin exploded on the launchpad in Florida on Thursday night during a pre-launch engine test, according to The New York Times. The fireball destroyed Blue Origin’s only launchpad for its 322-foot New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral, with repairs expected to take months. All personnel were safe and accounted for.
“Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it,” Bezos wrote on social media.
All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it. — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 29, 2026
Elon Musk, his longtime space rival, sent his sympathies on X, writing: “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”
Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2026
The rocket was supposed to carry 48 satellites for Amazon’s Leo internet constellation. NASA also relies on New Glenn for parts of its Artemis moon program, including a lander Blue Origin is building for future astronaut missions. With Blue Origin’s only launchpad in ruins, the company’s role in next year’s Artemis III mission is now in question. “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman wrote on X.