Blue Origin rocket explodes during test, dealing a setback to Bezos' "space dream"; Musk: Rockets are just this difficult.

```

Blue Origin’s "New Glenn" rocket exploded during a static fire test on the launch pad, dealing a heavy blow to Amazon’s internet satellite constellation project and bringing a new round of severe challenges to this space company under Jeff Bezos.

According to the UK’s Financial Times, the explosion happened on the night of May 28 local time, just days before "New Glenn" was scheduled to launch 48 Amazon satellites on Monday. Several Blue Origin employees revealed that an initial assessment showed the company’s only launch pad and multiple facilities, including the lightning tower and the rocket erection and transport system, were severely damaged. This incident is expected to have a major impact on the company’s launch plans this year.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman later said that NASA would work with Blue Origin, provide full support for a comprehensive investigation of the incident, assess the impact on upcoming missions, and push for a swift return to flight. He also stated that information about the impact on the "Artemis" lunar landing project and the "Lunar Base" program would be announced in due course. Elon Musk also commented on X regarding the explosion:

"It’s really unfortunate. Rockets are just this hard."

Launch Pad Damaged, Annual Schedule Set Back

The explosion occurred during the static fire test of the "New Glenn" rocket — a pre-launch check procedure requiring rocket fueling and engine ignition testing. Blue Origin confirmed that the company "encountered an anomaly during today’s hot fire test," all personnel are safe, and an investigation is underway.

Video footage from the Florida launch pad showed the rocket erupting into a fireball at night. Multiple employees told the media that Blue Origin’s only launch pad and related ground equipment were severely damaged, making it inevitable that the company’s scheduled launches this year would be affected. Blue Origin previously planned to conduct 12 "New Glenn" flights in 2025.

Bezos posted on X: "Today has been very hard, but we will rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and fly again. It’s all worth it."

Amazon Satellite Constellation Project Impeded

The impact on Amazon is particularly direct. Amazon is relying on Blue Origin to help complete its "Project Kuiper" low-Earth orbit internet satellite constellation before the regulatory deadline, and has already paid Blue Origin $2.7 billion for launch contracts.

The mission originally scheduled for Monday would have carried 48 satellites for Amazon’s low-Earth orbit internet constellation. Following the explosion, Amazon did not respond to the Financial Times’ request for comment.

Josh Parker, an analyst with Washington strategy consultancy Capstone, said the malfunction would force Blue Origin customers to seek extra launch capacity from SpaceX. "This is SpaceX’s most competitive rival and the only other company able to recover and reuse boosters — now it’s forced out," he said.

Background: Another Blow Following a Series of Setbacks

The "New Glenn" rocket is 98 meters tall, named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, with a design goal of at least 25 flight missions.

This explosion is not Blue Origin’s first setback. In April this year, during the third "New Glenn" launch, a "thrust anomaly" resulted in a satellite intended for customer AST SpaceMobile being released into too low an orbit, ultimately leading to failure. US regulators immediately ordered a flight halt, but Blue Origin just last week completed its accident report and was allowed to resume flights — this quick approval surprised analysts, as the industry generally expected the halt to last several months.

In the same week as the accident, NASA had just awarded Blue Origin a $468 million contract to develop two unmanned lunar landers in support of America’s plan to return to the moon with the "Lunar Base" project by the end of 2028. Blue Origin is one of NASA’s main landing system contractors, and its lunar lander is part of the planned first unmanned lunar landing mission after this fall.

Risk Warning and DisclaimerThe market has risks and investments require caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any particular user. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article fit their specific circumstances. Investing based on this is at your own risk. ```