What is New Glenn? Blue Origin rocket explodes during routine prelaunch test

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a routine prelaunch hotfire test at Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. In a statement on social media, Blue Origin acknowledged the explosion and said that there was no damage to its personnel. According to the Brevard County Emergency Management, the explosion poses no threat to the public. However, the explosion marked a significant dent to Blue Origin's ambition to challenge SpaceX in the commercial space Industry.

“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,” said Jeff Bezos in a social media statement.

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What is the New Glenn rocket?

Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off with internet satellites that are part of the Amazon Leo constellation in orbit. “At more than 320 ft (98 m) tall, New Glenn is one of the largest vehicles ever built". It uses liquid oxygen (LOX) / liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled oxygen-rich staged seven BE-4 combustion engines for the first stage and uses two liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen cryogenic rocket engines, BE-3U engines, for the second stage. The first stage uses a reusable rocket like a commercial carrier and can be used for at least 25 flights. It can carry up to 13 metric tons to Geo Stationary Transfer Orbit and 45 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit. Most reusable rockets work on two-stage separation. After the first stage separation, the booster of the New Glenn rockets reorients and touches down on Jacklyn. The second stage delivers the payload to the designated orbit before collapsing over the ocean.

Last month, the New Glenn suffered a mishap and was temporarily grounded by the FAA. It lost its payload, BlueBird 7, an internet-beaming satellite in the upper stage, as one of its BE-3U engines did not produce enough thrust during a key burn, and landed the payload in the wrong spot.

The New Glenn rocket was designed to compete the Space X's Falcon Heavy and Starship satellites. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who also had his own recent share of explosions, said in a social media post, “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”