​Fireball on the launch pad: Blue Origin rocket explodes during engine test​

One of the largest rocket explosions in U.S. history illuminated the Florida night sky on May 28, 2026, after a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket suffered a catastrophic failure during a routine pre-launch static fire test. (Image credit: NSF - NASASpaceflight )

Blue Origin is a private space exploration company founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000. The company develops reusable rockets and spacecraft for human spaceflight, satellite launches and future lunar missions, aiming to make access to space more affordable and sustainable.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a routine static fire test, in which engines are ignited while the vehicle remains secured to the launch pad. The rocket was being prepared for its fourth mission, scheduled as early as June 4 to launch 48 Amazon internet satellites, with no payload aboard during the test.( Image credit:NSF – NASASpaceflight)

Around 9 p.m. ET, the rocket exploded. Homes shook in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, and residents flooded social media wondering what had happened. Blue Origin confirmed: "We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted. (Image credit: X)

Space Launch Complex 36 is the only launch pad in the world equipped to launch New Glenn rockets was the site of the blast. The extent of damage to the pad and ground equipment remains unclear. (Image credit:NSF – NASASpaceflight)

This is what was left of Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral after 9 pm, on May 28. No rocket. No launchpad. Just fire, smoke, and silence where a 320-foot rocket once stood.

(Image credit: X)

New Glenn's third mission had ended with a cryogenic failure in the upper stage, causing the loss of a satellite. The rocket had only just been cleared on May 22 to return to flight after being grounded by the FAA following that April anomaly.

Just a day before the explosion Nasa had awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to help build a moon base New Glenn is central to both Blue Origin's and Nasa's lunar ambitions, and the explosion is likely to be a significant setback.

"It's too early to know the root cause but we're already working to find it," Bezos posted on X. "Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it."

Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman called spaceflight "unforgiving" and said the agency would work with partners to investigate the anomaly and assess near-term mission impacts. An FAA investigation is expected, and the Amazon Leo satellite launch timeline is now uncertain.