Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Suffers Anomaly During Engine Test in Florida

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine test at a Florida launch pad last week. Jeff Bezos, who founded Blue Origin, confirmed that no one was injured and that all personnel were accounted for. The launcher base was described as pretty much destroyed.

Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director General, said he was “saddened” and “concerned” by the images of the explosion. ” Aschbacher gave the statements during an interview on Euronews’ programme 12 Minutes With. The explosion hampered Blue Origin’s hopes to compete with SpaceX.

It could also complicate NASA’s lunar ambitions. NASA hoped the New Glenn rocket would be central to the multi-step Artemis programme. NASA launched the Artemis II mission in April 2026. The 10-day crewed lunar flyby marked the programme’s first crewed flight.

Artemis III, set for 2027, involves a low-Earth orbit flight of two commercial lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Until last week, Blue Origin was considered the more prepared of the two commercial lunar lander providers. The explosion is now raising questions about whether landing on the Moon by 2028 in Artemis IV remains feasible.

Last week, NASA presented its plan for a permanent moon base with full-time human habitation by 2032. The plan includes infrastructure on the lunar surface, astronauts walking and driving rovers, rovers extracting material from soil, and factories producing bricks. ” He added that ESA is “very much part of it” and is negotiating with NASA on elements the agency can provide.

ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander programme will support Artemis missions and transport equipment to the lunar surface. Its Moonlight programme is Europe’s first-ever constellation of lunar satellites for telecommunications and satellite navigation. The engine for the Orion capsule European Service Module is provided by ESA.

ESA was set to build the Lunar Gateway for the Artemis III programme. NASA paused development of the Lunar Gateway earlier in 2026, ending years of work and millions of euros invested by the European space sector. European technology will continue to be part of the Artemis mission.

Aschbacher said European participation in astronaut flights remains under discussion. “That is a big question. I wish I could answer it,” he said. ” German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst is considered a top candidate for one of the first Europeans to fly to the Moon, possibly on Artemis IV.

The crew for the Artemis III mission is scheduled to be revealed on 9 June 2026.