A Blue Origin rocket exploded on the launchpad Thursday night during an engine test.
No one was hurt during the incident, which occurred during an engine firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
“All personnel are accounted for and safe,” Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos wrote on X. “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.”
Video of the explosion showed flames erupt at the base of the New Glenn rocket, then quickly spread upwards, turning into a fireball that sent out a shockwave.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for,” Blue Origin said in a post on X. “We will provide updates as we learn more.”
The blast shook nearby homes and briefly painted the sky orange, the Associated Press reported.
Blue Origin aims to have the New Glenn rocket launch lunar landers for NASA.
Thursday’s explosion is the latest setback, after the New Glenn rocket was grounded last month following a launch that put a satellite in the wrong orbit. The company said an engine in the upper stage didn’t produce enough thrust.
