The explosion occurred while engineers were conducting technical tests and inspecting the rocket’s propulsion systems at the launch site. Sources close to the project said technical teams were preparing the rocket for future missions when a massive blast suddenly destroyed parts of the launch infrastructure.

According to Blue Origin officials, all safety measures had been followed at the time of the incident, and no casualties have been reported. However, the company described the technical and financial damages as significant.

The “New Glenn” rocket is considered one of the largest private space projects in the United States. The multi-stage rocket was designed to compete directly with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and was expected to play a key role in launching satellites, carrying out space missions, and supporting Amazon’s satellite internet projects.

Standing nearly 98 meters tall, the rocket is capable of carrying dozens of tons of payload into Earth’s orbit and is regarded as Blue Origin’s most important future launch vehicle.

One of New Glenn’s major upcoming missions was to deploy satellites for Amazon’s “Project Kuiper” into orbit. Project Kuiper is Amazon’s ambitious plan to create a global satellite internet network — a project intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink internet service.

Experts believe the recent explosion could delay the launch schedule of Kuiper satellites by several months and significantly increase project costs.

Competition among private space companies has intensified in recent years. While SpaceX has secured a strong position in the global space industry through repeated successful launches, Blue Origin is still striving to bring its large-scale projects into full operation.

Blue Origin announced that extensive technical investigations have begun to determine the cause of the accident. Experts suspect a failure in the fuel system or rocket engines may have triggered the explosion, although no official cause has yet been confirmed.

Company officials emphasized that development of New Glenn will continue and that the incident will not stop the company’s long-term space ambitions.

Despite the damages, Blue Origin remains one of the leading players in the private space industry. However, the latest explosion once again highlighted the complexity and enormous costs of competing in advanced space technology, where even a minor failure can result in billions of dollars in losses.

Attention is now focused on the outcome of the investigation and when the New Glenn project will return to the launch pad.