New dramatic footage captured by nearby witnesses and live cameras shows the terrifying moment Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin New Glenn rocket erupted in a spectacular explosion during a static fire test Thursday night at Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The blast occurred around 9 p.m. ET as the company was conducting a hotfire test of the massive first stage with its seven BE-4 engines.
A huge fireball lit up the night sky, with the explosion reportedly heard up to 15 miles away and the fiery spectacle allegedly visible from as far away as the Orlando area.
Videos of the incident quickly spread across social media as stunned observers watched the fiery plume rise above Florida’s Space Coast.
WATCH:
Blue Origin’s New Glenn just blew up at LC-36 while attempting to Static Fire ahead of NG-4.https://t.co/tANS0dWyIH pic.twitter.com/PztxFoBqIw
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 29, 2026
This angle is even crazier https://t.co/bDUuiafnTg pic.twitter.com/LuLG3frNw2
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 29, 2026
Blue Origin acknowledged the incident in a brief statement posted on X.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.”
We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) May 29, 2026
Jeff Bezos confirmed that no personnel were injured and that everyone at the facility was safely accounted for following the explosion.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation.
Jeff Bezos wrote on X:
“All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 29, 2026
This latest disaster comes just weeks after The Gateway Pundit reported on the FAA grounding Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket following its third flight.
In that mission, the booster performed well and even landed successfully, but the upper stage botched the critical orbit insertion, stranding a commercial satellite in the wrong orbit where it was ultimately lost. The FAA immediately labeled it a mishap and grounded the vehicle.
Now, just as Blue Origin was trying to get back on track with pre-flight testing for its next mission, the rocket literally blew up on the pad.
Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.
You can email Jim Hᴏft here, and read more of Jim Hᴏft’s articles here.
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