A rocket built by Blue Origin appears to have exploded on its launch pad in Florida during a test, sending a massive ball of fire into the air.
Footage captured the moment the rocket burst into flames, engulfing the surrounding area in a large blaze that lit up the night sky.
Blue Origin confirmed in a social media statement that it had “experienced an anomaly” during a hotfire test conducted at Cape Canaveral.
The explosion took place at approximately 21:00 local time, equivalent to 02:00 GMT, at the Florida launch site.
The space technology company, founded in the year 2000 by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, said all personnel had been accounted for following the incident.
Brevard County Emergency Management confirmed there was no threat to the public as a result of the explosion.
Bezos personally addressed the incident on social media, confirming the safety of all personnel and offering his assessment of the situation.
“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 US Space Force said emergency responders were at the scene and that officials were working with Blue Origin to evaluate available data to determine the exact cause.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman responded to the incident on X, saying: “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident, noting that the test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities and that there was no impact to air traffic.
The explosion occurred during a test being conducted ahead of an upcoming planned launch, adding further pressure to a company already facing scrutiny.
Just last month, Blue Origin’s newest rocket was grounded after the FAA ordered an investigation into a “mishap” involving the failed launch of a satellite belonging to AST SpaceMobile using its New Glenn rocket.
The company had been unable to place that satellite as far into orbit as intended, though it had previously achieved a milestone by successfully launching a New Glenn rocket from Florida last November, landing its reusable booster for the first time.