Blue Origin suffered a major setback on Thursday after its massive New Glenn rocket exploded during a reported hotfire test at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The explosion happened around 9 pm ET at Launch Complex-36. Thick flames and heavy smoke spread across the launch site after the blast.

The 320-foot rocket was expected to launch 48 broadband satellites for Amazon into low-Earth orbit during an upcoming mission.

NASA Confirms Investigation

Jared Isaacman said NASA is aware of the incident and confirmed that authorities will investigate the cause of the explosion. “Nasa will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and moon base programmes as it becomes available,” Isaacman wrote on X.

Blast Happened During Static Fire Test

The explosion took place during a static fire test, where engineers ignite rocket engines while the vehicle remains attached to the launch pad. These tests help teams evaluate propulsion systems before an actual launch. Blue Origin confirmed the incident in an official statement.

“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” the company said.

Jeff Bezos Reacts To Explosion

Jeff Bezos later responded to the incident and said the company is still investigating the root cause. “It’s too early to know the root cause, but we’re already working to find it,” Bezos wrote on X.

He later added, “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”

Artemis Programme Could Face Delays

The explosion has raised concerns about possible delays to NASA’s Artemis Moon programme. Space journalist Eric Berger suggested the incident could affect Blue Origin’s role in future lunar missions.

“This completely takes Blue Origin out of the Artemis picture for the next 12 months, most likely. All of those Moon Base missions, man, it’s bad,” Berger wrote.

Blue Origin is expected to play a major role in NASA’s future Moon missions alongside SpaceX and other private companies.

Elon Musk Responds

Elon Musk also reacted to the explosion. Responding to reports about the blast, Musk wrote on X, “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.” The incident came shortly before SpaceX planned another Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral to deploy Starlink satellites into orbit.

New Glenn Critical For Blue Origin

The New Glenn rocket is central to Blue Origin’s efforts to compete with SpaceX in the commercial space industry. The rocket is expected to support satellite launches, future Artemis missions, and long-term Moon exploration projects.

However, possible damage to the Florida launch pad could slow Blue Origin’s launch schedule and delay upcoming missions.