Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and key launch pad parts
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin said Tuesday that last week's rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad.
Critical to NASA's Artemis moon program, the company's massive New Glenn rocket blew up during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A lightning tower and the transporter-erector used to move and hoist the rocket were destroyed in the blast that sent shock waves across the state.
CEO Dave Limp said the methane, hydrogen and oxygen tanks look to be in good shape. The water tank is also fine and the support tower that's still standing can be repaired in place. A booster and other rocket parts housed nearby were not damaged.
Overall, this was "a bit of good news," Limp said in an X update, adding: "We will fly again before the end of this year."
The cause is still under investigation.
Just two days before the accident, NASA awarded a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Blue Origin, choosing New Glenn rockets to launch a pair of rovers to the moon ahead of the arrival of the first Artemis moonwalkers who will drive them. New Glenn also is needed to launch the company's Blue Moon lander that will be used to get astronauts to the lunar surface in the coming years.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during an engine-firing test on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Credit: @JConcilus via AP
A lightning arrester and a charred water tower are seen at pad 36 in the aftermath of the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explosion at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Friday, May 29, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Credit: AP Photo/John Raoux
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready for launch at the Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., April 18, 2026. Credit: AP Photo/John Raoux, File