Blue Origin faces months of delays after rocket explosion damages launch pad
Blue Origin faces a months-long setback after the explosion of a rocket damaged its launch pad, company and industry sources said, scrambling schedules for Amazon satellite launches and bolstering SpaceX’s dominance in the commercial launch market. The mishap, which occurred during a test fire of the engines for the New Glenn rocket’s launch next week, comes at a critical time for Jeff Bezos’ business empire. His companies Blue Origin and Amazon are seeking to establish themselves as viable challengers in the heavy-lift and global satellite internet network industries, competing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Thursday’s setback could also complicate Nasa’s lunar ambitions. A Blue Origin booster called “No, It’s Necessary” — a nod to a line from the film Interstellar — was wrecked in the incident on Thursday. The launch pad was “practically destroyed” and engineers expect at least a six-month disruption, if not longer, said a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named because they are not authorised to speak with media. Damage at the site of a launchpad after an uncrewed Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a test at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, May 29, 2026. — Reuters “It’s only been a year since the SpaceX Starship also exploded on the launch pad and Blue Origin can also recover. But it will take months to rebuild,” said Antoine Grenier, partner and head of space consulting at Analysys Mason. Months-long rebuild expected After a Falcon 9 exploded on the launch pad in 2016, SpaceX spent more than a year repairing the damaged facility, though it resumed launches within four and a half months by shifting operations to a second Florida pad. While Amazon’s decision to bring aboard more launch partners, including SpaceX, it has reduced its dependence on any single rocket, it gives Musk’s business leverage over Bezos, his long-running rival. “Sorry t...
Original source: Dawn Pakistan