Blue Origin Chief Executive Dave Limp said Tuesday that the methane, hydrogen, and oxygen fuel tanks at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36 appear undamaged after last week’s catastrophic explosion of the company’s New Glenn rocket during a static-fire engine test. The company also reported that the launch pad’s water tank is intact and that the support tower remains upright and can be repaired on site without requiring demolition.
Limp said that a fully assembled New Glenn booster and other rocket components stored near the launch pad were not harmed.
The explosion occurred May 28 during a routine test firing of New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The blast destroyed a lightning-protection tower and the transporter-erector — the specialized vehicle used to move the 320-foot rocket from its assembly building to the pad and raise it vertical for launch. The detonation sent shockwaves that were felt across Brevard County.
New Glenn is central to NASA’s Artemis program, the agency’s initiative to return astronauts to the moon. NASA selected the heavy-lift rocket for both cargo and crew transportation missions. The Blue Origin rocket is designed to compete with SpaceX’s Starship for lucrative government and commercial launch contracts.
The company has not announced a timeline for returning to flight or for repairing the damaged launch infrastructure.