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A dramatic detonation of Blue Origin’s colossal New Glenn rocket has cast doubt over NASA’s aspirations for establishing a permanent lunar settlement.
The 321-foot-tall (98 meters) launch vehicle combusted into a massive fireball mere moments into a “hotfire test” at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station around 9 p.m. EDT (1 a.m. GMT) on Thursday evening (May 28). This event was documented via live broadcast by SpaceFlight Now.
The intensity of the blast — regarded as one of the most potent rocket explosions captured on film in over half a century and a candidate for the largest in U.S. history — caused damage to sections of the rocket’s launch platform, sending tremors through nearby residences and scattering debris. The explosion illuminated the night sky with an orange glow, reportedly visible as far as Sarasota, approximately 175 miles (280 kilometers) away.
While no individuals sustained injuries from the incident, it has likely jeopardized NASA’s objectives for constructing humanity’s inaugural lunar outpost, which were unveiled just two days prior on Tuesday (May 26). NASA had previously awarded Blue Origin the contract to conduct the initial phase of three missions designed to transport essential equipment to the moon this year, along with an allocation of $468 million for two uncrewed landers.
The first of these three cargo shipments, designated Moon Base 1, was slated to be carried by Blue Origin’s automated Blue Moon Mark 1 “Endurance” lander, positioned atop a New Glenn rocket. The company is also in competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to develop a manned lunar lander for the Artemis IV mission, which aims to land astronauts on the moon in 2028.
The precise cause of the explosion on Thursday night remains undetermined, though it appears to have originated in the rocket’s initial stage, which is equipped with seven liquid methane BE-4 engines.
“All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Jeff Bezos, the former president and CEO of Amazon and the founder of Blue Origin, posted on X shortly after the explosion. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying.”
Less than 15 minutes after Bezos’ communication, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman stated on X that the space agency was aware of an “anomaly” at Launch Complex 36 involving Blue Origin’s rocket. “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” he added. “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.”
This is not the first recent setback involving the New Glenn this year. On April 19, Blue Origin successfully achieved a first-time reuse of the rocket’s booster, but the AST SpaceMobile satellite it launched into space ended up in a critically low orbit, rendering it inoperable, as confirmed by representatives of the satellite manufacturer at the time.
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The upper-stage issue that caused this prior failure led to the New Glenn being grounded by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), an order that was rescinded just four days prior. (The FAA has yet to issue a statement regarding Thursday night’s incident.)
In addition to representing a significant setback for Blue Origin, the explosion poses a challenge for NASA. Experts have already expressed considerable doubt regarding the viability of the agency’s ambitious timeline for a lunar return, pointing to the unproven nature of much of the technology incorporated into its commercial lunar contracts.
For instance, NASA selected Axiom Space as a rover collaborator despite concerns that their delayed spacesuits could cause considerable setbacks for the Artemis program. Meanwhile, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines were chosen to dispatch payloads, yet both experienced failures in their sole previous lunar delivery missions. Furthermore, SpaceX’s Starship, the primary competitor to the New Glenn, has faced at least two years of delays since NASA selected the rocket as a crewed moon lander in 2021.
“Most unfortunate,” Musk commented on X shortly after Thursday’s detonation. “Rockets are hard.”
Sourse: www.livescience.com