Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket destroyed in a prelaunch test mishap

What happened

On Thursday, May 28, 2026, at about 9 p.m. Eastern time, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire test at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. All seven BE-4 engines had ignited before the failure. The test was preparing for a launch planned as soon as June 4. Founder Jeff Bezos said everyone was accounted for and safe, that the root cause was not yet known, and that Blue Origin would rebuild and return to flight.

Damage and payload

The explosion appeared to destroy at least one lightning protection tower and the transporter erector at the pad, with a full assessment still pending. The mission was to carry Amazon Leo satellites, but they had not yet been moved from the payload facility to be mated with the rocket, so they were not on board. It would have been the first of 24 Amazon Leo launches booked on New Glenn.

Cause and oversight

The FAA said the test was outside its licensed activities, so it did not open its own investigation. Blue Origin led the inquiry. A later report cited chief executive Dave Limp as saying a malfunctioning engine valve was the culprit and that the company would fly again before the end of the year. That attribution was provisional because Blue Origin had not published full findings.

Effects on other programs

• Vulcan: if the problem traced to the BE-4 engine, it could also affect United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, which uses the same engine.
• NASA: the agency relies on Blue Origin for Artemis and Moon Base plans, and Artemis 3 was scheduled for mid-2027. NASA's administrator said the agency would report on impacts as they became known.
• Amazon: launches that would have used New Glenn were pushed back, which adds pressure on other rockets such as the Atlas V flights in our story on ULA's Amazon Leo launch.

Recent history

New Glenn's NG-3 mission earlier this year left an AST SpaceMobile satellite in the wrong orbit after a second-stage problem. The FAA cleared New Glenn to fly again on May 22, only six days before the explosion.

What to watch

Look for Blue Origin's final root cause, pad repair time, and whether any finding about the BE-4 engine affects Vulcan. For another recent launch investigation, see our report on the FAA's Starship mishap review.