A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a test in Florida on Thursday, an incident which the aerospace company called an “anomaly.”
“All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” the company wrote on social media.
A livestream posted by NSF, an aerospace news organization, captured the fiery plume. Homes shook in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach around 9pm, with residents turning to social media to ask what happened. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36 is visible from the beach, and the internet quickly filled with photos of the orange fireball.
Emergency officials said there was no threat due to fumes or other potential hazards.
It’s the latest setback for Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The New Glenn rocket was grounded in April, as the Federal Aviation Administration reportedly required Blue Origin to investigate an engine mishap.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding whether Thursday’s explosion will trigger another investigation.
Earlier this week, Nasa announced it had chosen Blue Origin over Elon Musk’s SpaceX to conduct the first of three uncrewed lunar missions this year to kickstart construction of a $20bn moon base.
Blue Origin and SpaceX are competing to provide crew landers for an upcoming sequence of Artemis missions, including the planned 2028 return of humans to the moon on Artemis IV. Both companies have built large new facilities in or close to Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center to support crewed and cargo missions in partnership with Nasa.
Musk was quick to offer his take on Thursday’s Blue Origin explosion.
“Most unfortunate,” he wrote on X, which he owns. “Rockets are hard.”
Bezos also has a vested interest in space tourism. Last April, the company made headlines as it sent an all-female, star-studded crew into space. Gayle King and Katy Perry were on board the flight.
Richard Luscombe and the Associated Press contributed reporting