A rocket built by aerospace company Blue Origin appears to have exploded on a launch pad in Florida, United States, during a ground test.
Video footage from the site shows the vehicle erupting into a huge fireball, with flames rapidly spreading across the surrounding area moments after ignition.
In a statement shared on social media, Blue Origin said it had “experienced an anomaly” during a hotfire test. It added that all personnel have been accounted for.
The space technology firm was founded in 2000 by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.
The incident occurred around 21:00 local time (02:00 +1 GMT) at Cape Canaveral. Brevard County Emergency Management said there is no threat to the public.
Bezos also posted on social media confirming that all personnel are safe, saying, “It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” he said. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
The US Space Force said emergency responders were deployed to the scene and that officials are working alongside Blue Origin to analyse data and determine what caused the anomaly.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commented on X that, “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. 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.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident, adding that “This test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities,” and confirmed there was no disruption to air traffic.
Just last month, Blue Origin’s newest rocket was grounded after the FAA opened an investigation into a “mishap” during a failed satellite deployment mission.
The company had attempted to launch a satellite for AST SpaceMobile using its New Glenn rocket but was unable to place it fully into its intended orbit.
Blue Origin successfully launched a New Glenn rocket from Florida in November last year, also achieving the milestone of landing its reusable booster for the first time.
