A massive explosion rocked Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida after a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket suffered what the company described as an “anomaly” during a hotfire test on the launch pad.
The dramatic blast occurred at around 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 28, at Launch Complex 36, sending a towering fireball and mushroom cloud into the sky as shockwaves reportedly rippled across parts of central Florida.
Blue Origin later confirmed the incident in a statement posted on social media, saying all personnel had been safely accounted for.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” the company said. “All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.”
New Glenn rocket program
The company had been preparing the massive New Glenn rocket for a planned static-fire engine test ahead of its anticipated fourth mission, which was expected to launch as early as June 4 carrying 48 satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper internet constellation.
Also Read: Dallas Explosion Devastates Apartment Building — 11 Feared Trapped in Rubble
The satellite project is viewed as a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink network operated by SpaceX.
Authorities said there was no immediate threat to the public despite the scale of the explosion.
Brevard County Emergency Management said emergency crews were monitoring the situation while allowing the contained fire to burn itself out naturally.
“The current plan is to allow the contained fire caused by the explosion to burn itself out,” local emergency officials said in a statement.
The City of Cape Canaveral also confirmed that its Emergency Operations Team had been placed in active contact with Canaveral Fire Rescue following the incident.
“An explosion occurred on the pad,” the city said. “According to Blue Origin, all personnel have been accounted for.”
The exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Eyewitnesses described seeing an enormous flash followed by a loud blast that could be felt miles away from the launch site.
“I was walking my dog and saw a giant flash of orange from East Orlando,” one witness, Sam Bates, wrote on social media.
Footage circulating online appeared to show severe destruction around the launch complex, including what observers said was the collapse of one of the lightning-protection towers near the launch pad.
Setback for Blue Origin
The incident marks a major setback for Blue Origin’s ambitious New Glenn rocket program, which has been under development for nearly a decade as Jeff Bezos seeks to challenge SpaceX’s dominance in the commercial launch industry.
Named after legendary astronaut John Glenn, the New Glenn rocket stands approximately 322 feet tall and is designed as a reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying satellites, spacecraft, and future deep-space missions.
The rocket’s reusable first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid methane, generating more than 3.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
Blue Origin has promoted New Glenn as a major competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and Starship systems.
Despite years of delays, the rocket had recently begun achieving significant milestones.
New Glenn successfully reached orbit during its first flight in January 2025, although the upper stage later broke apart before a planned drone ship landing attempt.
A second mission in November 2025 successfully delivered a NASA spacecraft to Mars and achieved the program’s first booster landing.
However, the rocket’s third mission suffered another setback after an upper-stage malfunction prevented an AST SpaceMobile satellite from reaching its intended orbit.
Thursday night’s explosion now threatens to delay Blue Origin’s broader commercial ambitions, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper deployment schedule.
Also Read: UK Deploys New Anti-Drone Missile System to Middle East Amid Hormuz Security Build-up
Project Kuiper is a major Amazon initiative designed to create a global broadband internet network using thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit — directly competing with Musk’s Starlink system, which already operates across dozens of countries.
Elon Musk reacts
The rivalry between Bezos and Musk has increasingly expanded beyond business into the aerospace sector, where SpaceX currently dominates launch services, reusable rocket operations and satellite internet deployment.
Musk reacted publicly to the explosion shortly after reports emerged online.
“Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard,” the SpaceX founder wrote on X.
He later added another message directly responding to Blue Origin’s official statement: “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”
The response drew attention online given the intense commercial rivalry between the two billionaire-led companies.
The failed test comes during a period of heightened competition in the global space industry as private companies race to secure military contracts, satellite launches, lunar missions and future deep-space exploration opportunities.
Investigators are now expected to assess what triggered the catastrophic failure during the ground test and whether the incident caused significant long-term damage to the infrastructure at Launch Complex 36.
Blue Origin has not yet indicated whether the planned June launch timeline for the next New Glenn mission will be affected.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
