Blue Origin is running a rocket test. Immediately, a massive explosion occurred, leaving behind a huge fireball and glowing embers.
This happened during the ‘Hot Fire’ test in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Now company head Jeff Bezos has reacted to the disaster.
Addressing X, he wrote, “All personnel are safe.”
Bezos also wrote that it was not immediately clear what went wrong.
“It’s too early to know the root cause, but we’re already working to find out.”
But he is determined that the company will return to flying once the incident is resolved.
“It’s a very tough day, but we will rebuild whatever needs to be rebuilt and get back flying. It’s worth it.”
At the same time, officials have also confirmed the incident.
In a post on Facebook, the US Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 Wing said, “A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket experienced an anomaly at approximately 9:00 p.m. during hotfire testing at Space Launch Complex 36.”
“Emergency responders are on scene. All personnel have been located, and there are no injuries/fatalities.”
The explosion was so dramatic that even rival Elon Musk tweeted in sympathy.
“Very unfortunate. Rockets are tough,” he wrote on X. In a separate post, Musk commented, “Sorry to see this; I hope you recover quickly.”
This is not the first time that the New Glenn rocket has suffered a setback.
Just a few months earlier, the New Glenn rocket was grounded due to engine failure that sent a satellite into the wrong orbit.
