Jeff Bezos has shared an update on Blue Origin following the company's major setback last month. The tech billionaire said in a recent interview that Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket will return to flight before the end of 2026, despite an explosion during a static-fire test at a launch facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Bezos also spoke about the incident, calling it a tough moment for the company and its employees.
Bezos Reflects on the Explosion
“It was a very difficult event, a very bad day for Blue Origin, very tough on the whole team,” Bezos told CNBC in an interview. The explosion happened during a hot-fire test, in which New Glenn’s engines were fired while the rocket was still strapped down on the launchpad. The test is usually performed to check the vehicle's systems before launch, but it caused the rocket to explode.
Despite the damage, Bezos said the company avoided losing some of its most critical hardware and is already working to restore the launch site. Blue Origin “got lucky in a bunch of ways,” including that the longest lead items were undamaged by the explosion, he said. “We’ll be flying again before the end of this year,” Bezos added.
Recovery and Investigation Underway
The incident marked another challenge for Blue Origin's New Glenn programme, which had recently returned to the launchpad after an April mission issue involving an AST SpaceMobile satellite that was delivered into the wrong orbit. At the time of the explosion, the rocket was preparing to launch a batch of 48 satellites for Amazon's low Earth orbit internet initiative. Following the test failure, Bezos acknowledged that investigators were still determining the cause of the explosion.
“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,” Bezos noted.
Focus on Repairing Launch Infrastructure
Blue Origin is currently focused on repairing the damaged launch infrastructure and continuing its investigation into the incident. Earlier this month, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC that it will “take some serious time” to restore the launchpad.
Blue Origin, founded by Bezos, develops launch vehicles and spaceflight technologies and competes for commercial satellite launches and government space contracts. Getting the New Glenn rocket flying again is a major milestone in the company's plans for future launch missions after last month's setback.
