Blue Origin Rebuilds Launch Pad After New Glenn Rocket Explosion

Blue Origin has begun rebuilding its Florida launch facility following a New Glenn rocket test explosion,with the company aiming to resume launches before the end of 2026.

PARIS — Reconstruction has begun at Blue Origin’s Florida launch pad after a New Glenn rocket exploded during a ground test in May, CEO Dave Limp said on Wednesday, with launches expected to resume before the end of this year. Limp spoke alongside company founder Jeff Bezos at the VivaTech conference in Paris. The uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded on May 28 during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.No injuries were reported. “It was a gut punch for the whole team. But what we’ve learned since then is we got really lucky,” Bezos said. Some of the “long lead items” on the launch infrastructure, including the propellant tank farm, liquid hydrogen, liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, were preserved, he added. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC earlier this month that damage to New Glenn will take some “serious time” to repair. Limp said Blue Origin had brought in crews working around the clock to clear debris from the pad, and that reconstruction began on Tuesday. He also said Blue Origin’s uncrewed Mark 1 lunar lander mission is expected to fly early next year.