Blue Origin Traces Origin of Huge New Glenn Rocket Explosion to Oxygen Valve, CEO Says
Dave Limp said hardware tests confirmed the blast came from a faulty oxygen valve, and updated parts will be built by month’s end.
- Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp confirmed on Wednesday that the May 28 New Glenn rocket explosion resulted from a faulty oxygen valve in one of the vehicle's seven BE-4 engines.
- The explosion occurred at Space Launch Complex 36 during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral, creating a massive shockwave detected 135 miles away; no injuries were reported.
- Limp wrote on X that the company is modifying the valve for quick retrofitting to existing engines, with updated hardware to be manufactured by the end of this month.
- United Launch Alliance is collaborating with Blue Origin on the investigation, as its Vulcan rocket also uses BE-4 engines, making the findings critical to the constrained U.S. launch market.
- Blue Origin maintains an ambitious schedule to return New Glenn to flight by the end of this year, facing pressure to prepare for NASA's Artemis III mission next year.
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Blue Origin has located the origin of the accident on the main oxygen valve of one of the seven first stage BE-4 engines
Faulty oxygen valve led to massive explosion of Blue Origin rocket, investigators say - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WSVN) — We now know what caused a Blue Origin rocket explosion that sent shockwaves through Cape Canaveral. Investigators say a faulty...
Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on the pad at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the result of an anomaly during a static fire test on Thursday, May 28. The test was in preparation for a planned launch as soon as June 4. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Correction Aug. 6, 8:52 p.m. EDT (0052 UTC): Fixed a line suggesting that Amazon Leo satellites were on the New Glenn rocket when it exploded. That was not th…
Blue Origin Discovers Cause of Launch Pad Explosion
A faulty main oxygen valve was found to be the cause of Blue Origin’s rocket explosion that brought all launches to a standstill several months ago. “The anomaly originated at the main oxygen valve on one of the BE-4 engines, which was later confirmed by hardware recovery and inspections,” the commercial spacefaring company’s CEO, Dave Limp, said on X on Aug. 5. “Extensive component-level and engine hotfire tests have been conducted to understa…
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