Blue Origin rocket explodes into massive fireball during latest engine test
The rocket was being prepared to launch satellites for Amazon’s internet network.
A Blue Origin rocket has exploded into a mushroom cloud during an engine test.
The rocket, operated by Blue Origin and named Glenn LN-01, was being tested at Cape Canaveral in Florida when a massive explosion occurred at 9pm, local time.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Blue Origin rocket explodes during ground test
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.A live stream of the launch shows a liquid pouring from the base of the rocket before igniting and sending a visible shockwave and debris through the air.
Other footage shared on social media showed the fireball lighting up the night sky as it rapidly rose into the clouds.
Blue Origin is a private aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight management company founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, who also founded Amazon.
In a post to social media, the company acknowledged the explosion as “an anomaly” and that “all personnel have been accounted for”.
Bezos also took to social media to say it was a “very rough day”.
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” he said.
“We’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
Glenn LN-01 was being prepared to add 48 satellites into low-Earth orbit for the Amazon Leo, the company’s internet service.
The 29-storey-tall rocket with a reusable first stage cost Blue Origin billions of dollars over roughly a decade in development.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency was “aware of the anomaly” that occurred during the Blue Origin test.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” Isaacman said.
“We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”
Part of that investigation will include potential impacts to timelines of both the Artemis and Moon Base programs.
Just a day prior to the explosion, Amazon described the rocket as its “new reusable, heavy-lift” which would have been responsible for the next 24 launches of the Leo project.
It also noted the launch would have been the project’s “largest payload yet”, just five days after being grounded due to a failed launch last month.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last Friday granted permission for more testing following a Blue Origin-led investigation.
“The final mishap report identified the direct cause of the mishap as a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line and led to a thrust anomaly during the second stage engine burn,” the FAA said. “Blue Origin identified nine corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of the event.”
Glenn LN-01 was set to be the next step for Amazon Leo which has just over 300 satellites in orbit, about 1300 short of its initial June 30 deadline with the Federal Communications Commission.
More to come ...
