Blue Origin has suffered a major setback after its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine test on May 28 at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral.

The explosion produced a massive fireball that lit up the Florida night sky. According to the company, no injuries were reported, although the launch infrastructure may have sustained serious damage.

Potential impact on the lunar program

The accident could become a significant problem not only for Blue Origin, but also for NASA’s Artemis program lunar ambitions.

The 98-meter-tall New Glenn rocket is intended to become Blue Origin’s primary heavy-launch system. It is expected to carry the Blue Moon lunar lander to orbit and eventually to the Moon. Blue Moon is one of two lunar landing systems selected by NASA alongside Starship from SpaceX.

Earlier this week, NASA announced that Blue Moon would deliver two privately developed lunar rovers intended to support construction of a future lunar base near the Moon’s south pole. At least one rover is expected to be operational by the time of the Artemis 4 mission, currently targeted for late 2028.

Blue Origin had also planned to launch a prototype version of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander later this year.

NASA’s response

Jared Isaacman responded quickly to the incident, emphasizing that spaceflight is unforgiving and that developing new heavy-lift rockets is extraordinarily difficult. He said NASA would work closely with its partners to investigate the anomaly, assess the impact on upcoming missions, and return the rocket to flight status.

Launch history and concerns

New Glenn has completed only three launches so far, and its performance record has been inconsistent. During its third mission on April 19, the rocket reportedly failed to place the BlueBird 7 satellite into the correct orbit, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily suspend flights.

The latest explosion occurred during a hot-fire engine test that was meant to clear the way for the rocket’s fourth launch, scheduled for June 4, carrying 49 Project Kuiper satellites from Amazon.

Because LC-36 is currently the only launch site capable of supporting New Glenn missions, any major damage to the facility could delay the entire program for an extended period.

In short

Blue Origin suffered a major failure when its New Glenn rocket exploded during pre-launch engine testing at Cape Canaveral. The incident could significantly delay the Blue Moon lunar lander program and affect NASA’s Artemis timeline. Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the explosion and assess the extent of the damage.