Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Testing In Blow To SpaceX Rival

BreakingBusinessBlue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Testing In Blow To SpaceX RivalBySiladitya Ray,Forbes Staff. Siladitya Ray is a New Delhi-based Forbes news team reporter.Follow AuthorMay 29, 2026, 01:00am EDTToplineBlue Origin’s new rocket exploded on the launchpad in Florida during a test that was being conducted to prepare for an upcoming launch, dealing a major blow to the Jeff Bezos-backed rocket company and its bid to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX.A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during an engine-firing test on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (@JConcilus via AP)Associated PressKey FactsIn a statement on X, Blue Origin said it experienced an “anomaly” during a “hotfire test” of its New Glenn rocket—a process where a rocket’s engines are ignited while it remains bolted to the launch pad.Videos of the incident showed flames rising from beneath the rocket and rising upwards during the test fire, before everything exploded into a large fireball.The company didn’t provide any details about the “anomaly” that caused the explosion, but noted that all “personnel have been accounted for.According to the New York Times, the explosion damaged Blue Origin’s sole launchpad for the New Glenn rocket at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and repairs are likely to take several months.The New Glenn rocket was being prepared to launch 48 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit as the Starlink competitor attempts to grow its satellite internet offering. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script); }; document.head.append...