Watch: Blue Origin’s new Glenn rocket explodes moments before planned launch at Cape Canaveral

A Blue Origin rocket bound for low-Earth orbit has exploded and lit up the night sky over Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday evening, may 28. The rocket, identified as Glenn LN-01, was undergoing a hotfire test at Launch Complex 36 ahead of its planned fourth mission when the explosion occurred shortly before 9 p.m. local time. Video footage circulating online showed the Blue Origin rocket exploding into a towering mushroom cloud, with flames and debris visible across the launch site.

The Jeff Bezos-backed aerospace company confirmed the incident in a statement posted on X, writing: “We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.”



The billionaire wrote, “All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”


The company did not immediately disclose what caused the Blue Origin explosion, though early reports indicated the rocket was not carrying any payload at the time. According to Bloomberg, the New Glenn rocket had been preparing for a mission to deploy satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper low-Earth orbit internet network, a growing rival to SpaceX’s Starlink service.

Spaceflight outlet NSF - NASASpaceflight.com posted footage and updates from the scene as the incident unfolded. In one post, the outlet wrote: “Blue Origin's New Glenn just blew up at LC-36 while attempting to Static Fire ahead of NG-4.”


The group later added: “The sound of the explosion just arrived at our cams miles away,” highlighting the scale of the blast near Cape Canaveral.

In another update, NSF - NASASpaceflight.com reported visible structural damage at the site, posting: “The explosion has toppled the right-hand lightning protection system tower! It's nowhere to be seen.”

Blue Origin, founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2000, has been developing the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket as part of its broader push into commercial spaceflight and satellite deployment. The mission planned for Glenn LN-01 was expected to carry 48 satellites into low-Earth orbit.