Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during engine test at Cape Canaveral

A Blue Origin rocket exploded during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday night. The incident occurred at approximately 9 p.m., shaking nearby homes and briefly illuminating the sky. Blue Origin confirmed that the New Glenn rocket experienced an anomaly during the test, but no injuries were reported. Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin, stated on X that it is too early to determine the root cause of the explosion, but the company is working to find it. Emergency crews were on-site for over an hour, but officials indicated there was no ongoing threat from fumes or other hazards. This incident follows a previous grounding of the New Glenn rocket in April due to an engine failure that left a satellite in the incorrect orbit. The rocket is intended for future missions, including launching landers to the moon for NASA. The New Glenn rocket, which stands at 321 feet, made its debut in 2025 and is designed to be larger and more powerful than the New Shepard rockets used for suborbital flights.