BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A dramatic incident unfolded at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday night when Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket erupted in a fiery explosion while on the launch pad.
The explosion took place during a static fire engine test, a routine procedure where the rocket’s engines are ignited while it remains anchored to the pad. This test was part of the preparations for a launch planned for the following week.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Residents along the space coast described the explosion as so intense that not only did it illuminate the night sky, but it also caused their homes to tremble. Many shared videos of the incident captured on their smartphones with News 6.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, addressed the situation in a statement on X, saying, “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.”
[RELATED: Watch Spaceflight Now’s footage of the Blue Origin rocket explosion]
U.S. Representative Mike Haridopolos, who leads the House Space Committee, expressed that this explosion is unlike anything he has witnessed during his years of observing the space program.
“This is a big deal, and we want to get to the bottom of it,” Haridopolos said.
He confirmed he had already been in contact with both Blue Origin and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who was set to visit the damaged launch pad Friday.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure this one never happens again and to get this launch pad operational again, because it’s vital in our new space race,” Haridopolos said.
CBS News Senior Space Consultant Bill Harwood described the sequence of events and the scale of the destruction.
“The fire began — it appeared anyway — at the base of the rocket as they were firing the engines for a hot fire test,” Harwood said. “It quickly engulfed the rocket. The vehicle appeared to begin collapsing. All of that liquid methane and oxygen was then released, and it exploded in a fireball, the likes of which I think few of us have ever seen before.”
The blast destroyed the rocket entirely and took out at least one of the lightning towers at the pad, according to Harwood who added that any additional damage is still being assessed.
[RELATED: Florida congressman reacts to Blue Origin rocket explosion]
Beyond the loss of the rocket itself, both Harwood and Haridopolos emphasized that the damage to the launch pad presents an obstacle for Blue Origin.
“That’s the only pad New Glenn has, that Blue Origin has,” Harwood said. “And they won’t be able to fly again until they repair the pad — and obviously figure out what went wrong with the rocket.”
In 2016, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 exploded on the launch pad, also during a hot fire test. SpaceX resumed flights in roughly three and a half months — but had two other launch pads available, including pad 39 at Kennedy Space Center and a pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, according to Harwood.
“In the case of SpaceX and pad 40, it took them more than a year to return that pad to service,” Harwood said. “So, it’s unclear — we don’t know simply how long it’s going to take to get the New Glenn pad going again.”
Harwood cautioned against drawing early conclusions about what caused the anomaly, but noted the implications could extend beyond Blue Origin depending on what investigators find.
“If it’s an engine problem, you’ve got to remember — those same engines are used by United Launch Alliance and their new Vulcan rocket,” Harwood said. “So obviously, a major problem with the engines would affect not just Blue Origin, but also United Launch Alliance.”
He stressed it is too soon to speculate, noting that early assumptions after incidents like this often prove to be wrong.
Haridopolos said the damaged launch pad is not just a setback for Blue Origin — it also plays a critical role in the U.S. space program.
“We’re relying on Blue Origin,” Haridopolos said. “They, along with SpaceX, are going to be the landers that we put on the moon. They have two different concepts of what they’re building. But we were relying on this New Glenn rocket to put that lander up in space.”
Harwood said regardless of what caused the explosion, it will take time before Blue Origin is flying again.
“We can say with no question at all — it’s going to be many months before we see a Blue Origin New Glenn flying again,” Harwood said.
Haridopolos declined to put a specific timeline on recovery but expressed confidence in Blue Origin’s ability to rebuild, noting the company recently hired 600 additional employees on the Space Coast.
“Knowing their philosophy and their conviction to winning the space race, I think they’ll be right at it,” he said. “I have full confidence that they’re going to rebuild, come back stronger, and we’re going to win the space race.”
Despite the severity of the explosion, CEO of Space Florida Robert Long said the incident should not be viewed as a blow to the broader aerospace industry — pointing to the very morning after the blast as evidence.
“These things are going to happen from time to time,” Long said. “It’s part of the normal course of business. But at the same time, things continue.”
Long noted that another launch proceeded the same morning, underscoring the Space Coast’s ability to absorb disruption and keep moving.
“When you look at the bigger picture, I think we just saw a launch this morning, right? So, when you talk about the space port as a whole, I think it shows the level of resilience that the system has,” Long said.
