news
Share icon

Share

WATCH: Moment Jeff Bezos rocket explodes in humungous fireball on launch pad

Published 08:00 29 May 2026 BST

Updated 08:12 29 May 2026 BST

Harry Warner
WATCH: Moment Jeff Bezos rocket explodes in humungous fireball on launch pad

Homenews

Houston, we have a problem...

The moment one of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rockets exploded into a truly terrifying fireball during a test has been going viral online and in the news.

At around 21:00 local time last night (02:00 BST), a rocket made by Blue Origin was conducting a test on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral when an "anomaly" sent the whole thing up in flames.

You can watch the video at the top of the article.

The video of the incident highlighted the ever-present dangers of space travel, with the rocket causing an explosion on a scale truly shocking to the eye.

Fortunately, nobody was harmed in the incident, with Blue Origin confirming in a statement that all personnel had been accounted for.

The statement read: "We experienced an anomaly during today's hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more."

Founder and Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos also released a statement shortly after the incident.

He wrote: All personnel are accounted for and safe. 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.

The US Space Force said emergency responders are at the scene while officials are working with Blue Origin to determine the exact cause of the anomaly.

The explosion came during a test before an upcoming launch.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on X: "Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also released a statement.

It said: “The FAA is aware that the Blue Origin New Glenn vehicle experienced an anomaly during a static fire test on the pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida around 9 p.m. local time on May 28,” the agency said in a statement to CNN. “This test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities. There was no impact to air traffic. Please contact Blue Origin for more information.”

Last month, Blue Origin's newest rocket was grounded after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered an investigation into a "mishap" involving the failed launch of a satellite.

The company attempted to place a satellite from AST SpaceMobile using its New Glenn rocket but was unable to get it as far into orbit as intended.

The space company successfully launched a New Glenn rocket from Florida last November, landing its reusable booster for the first time.

Explore more on these topics:

Moment Jeff Bezos rocket explodes in giant fireball on launch pad