Blue Origin says New Glenn blast left key Cape Canaveral tanks intact

Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, said Tuesday that several vital systems at its Cape Canaveral launch site survived last week's New Glenn rocket explosion.

The huge rocket, a major part of NASA's Artemis moon ambitions, erupted during an engine test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The blast destroyed a lightning tower as well as the transporter-erector that moves the vehicle and raises it upright, and the force of the explosion was felt across the state.

Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp said the site's methane, hydrogen and oxygen tanks appear to be in solid condition. He also said the water tank was not harmed, and that a remaining support tower can be fixed where it stands. A booster and other rocket components stored close to the pad were also spared damage.

Limp described the overall assessment on X as welcome news and said Blue Origin expects to launch again before the end of this year.

Investigators have not yet determined what caused the accident.

Two days before the explosion, NASA gave Blue Origin a contract valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. Under that deal, New Glenn rockets are to send two rovers to the moon before the first Artemis astronauts arrive there and use them. New Glenn is also required to carry Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, which is intended to take astronauts down to the lunar surface in future missions.

NASA is targeting 2028 at the earliest for the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on X that the agency will work to return the pad to service quickly while keeping close attention on advancing the lander.

Blue Origin's reusable New Glenn rocket family, named for John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, has flown only three times. The vehicle is much smaller than SpaceX's Starship, which has been conducting test flights from Texas to near-space altitudes. NASA has selected both Starships and Blue Moon landers for planned Artemis astronaut trips to the moon in the years ahead.