CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WFLA) — During a “hotfire test” at Cape Canaveral Space Station on Thursday, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket reportedly detonated on the launchpad.
The incident caused a significant fireball to erupt around 9 p.m., with numerous local residents noting they heard a loud explosion and observed a bright flash illuminating the night sky.
Blue Origin acknowledged the situation on X, describing the event as an “anomaly” that occurred during testing.
“All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” the company shared in their post.
Following the incident, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, reassured the public via social media that everyone was unharmed and that efforts were underway to investigate the cause of the explosion.
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” he said. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
The rocket was recently taken to Launch Complex 36 at the space station, where it was expected to send 48 satellites into orbit during the planned Leo New Glenn 1 launch.
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