WP: Massive Blue Origin rocket explosion sets stage for Elon Musk’s dominance of space
The accident could ground New Glenn for 6 months to 2 years while Blue Origin and NASA investigate the anomaly, officials said.
- On Thursday, Blue Origin's 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, destroying the booster and the company's only operational launch pad.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated the agency is assessing impacts to Artemis lunar programs, as the explosion threatens the timeline for testing commercial landers planned for the Artemis III mission next year.
- Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society stated the New Glenn rocket could be grounded for "anywhere from six months to two years" during the investigation, calling the pad destruction a "very messy situation."
- Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos stated on X that it is "too early to know the root cause," promising the company will "rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying."
- Although Blue Origin has begun preliminary work on a second launch pad, the company faces substantial delays in returning to flight because rebuilding complex infrastructure takes significant time.
104 Articles
104 Articles
Blue Origin regains access to Florida launchpad where rocket exploded, CEO says
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said Saturday that the company has regained some access to Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where a New Glenn rocket exploded in a "hotfire anomaly" that's now under investigation.
Blue Origin faces months of delays after rocket explosion damages launch pad, experts say
A Blue Origin booster called "No, It's Necessary" - a nod to a line from the film Interstellar - was wrecked in the incident on Thursday, and the launch pad was "practically destroyed," experts said.
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