Blue Origin explosion in Florida is latest setback for New Glenn rocket

Days after Blue Origin completed an investigation into the last failure of its New Glenn rocket, something else went very, very wrong with the towering launch vehicle.

In what could end up being the most significant disaster in Blue Origin's history, the rocket exploded in dramatic fashion May 28 as Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company readied it for a mission as early as the first week of June. The explosion completely destroyed the rocket's booster and launch pad, rocking the Atlantic Coast of Florida and startling residents.

For Blue Origin, the setback couldn't have come at a worse time.

The company, which billionaire Bezos founded in 2000, appeared to have turned a corner after New Glenn experienced an issue with a different booster on its third and most recent spaceflight in April. Ahead, Blue Origin had its sights set on developing a lunar lander for NASA that New Glenn was due to launch to the moon without a crew by the end of 2026.

Here's what to know about the explosion, and the previous setback Blue Origin underwent during an April New Glenn launch.

Why did Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explode?

The first stage of the New Glenn rocket, a booster fueled with methane, exploded in a massive fireball after 9 p.m. ET Thursday, May 28, above the launch site along the Florida coast.

Blue Origin, which referred to the explosion as an "anomaly," said it occurred during a hot fire test as the company was preparing the rocket for an upcoming launch. The prelaunch test involved firing up the rocket while it was securely held in place on the ground to verify hardware was working as intended at Launch Complex 36, which Blue Origin leases at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The New Glenn rocket, using a booster that had never flown before, was due to launch in the days ahead on its fourth flight since January 2025, this time delivering a batch of Bezos' Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit.

No injuries were reported and the company is investigatin both the cause and extend of the damage, Bezos said in a post on X.

What is the New Glenn rocket?

Named in honor of NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn is a powerful two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle manufactured by Blue Origin.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket stands at 322 feet tall, making it comparable in size to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) developed for the Artemis moon campaign. SpaceX's Starship, though, which is approximately 400 feet tall, is still regarded as the largest rocket in the world.

Blue Origin completes 'mishap' investigation after last New Glenn launch

The explosion is the latest setback for the New Glenn rocket after Blue Origin recently completed a "mishap" investigation into a failure that occurred during its most recent April 19 mission.

For Blue Origin, the launch hit a few key milestones for the company: A New Glenn first-stage booster, nicknamed "Never Tell me the Odds," was successfully reused for the first time, and also managed to land on a barge offshore near Florida so that Blue Origin could retrieve it for another launch.

But the second-stage of New Glenn that flew in orbit was unable to deliver its payload of broadband network satellites for cellular broadband service provider AST SpaceMobile to a high enough orbit. As a result, the satellites had to be de-orbited.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, required an investigation into the failure that temporarily grounded New Glenn.

In its final report, accepted May 22 by the FAA, Blue Origin identified a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line as the source of the failure, as it prevented the upper stage from generating enough thrust in orbit. The company further identified "nine corrective action," according to the FAA.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Origin explosion in Florida is latest setback for New Glenn rocket

Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 7:37 AM.