Blue Origin blast may threaten key NASA Moon mission goals
Photo: plans may be delayed by years (Getty Images)
The massive explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket was not only a serious blow to its owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, but also to NASA. The incident could delay plans to land astronauts on the Moon and begin construction of a lunar base, according to NBC News.
According to the report, following the incident Blue Origin will have to accept the loss of one of its few New Glenn rockets and the destruction of the only operational launch pad for these rockets.
In addition, the company will have to deal with an investigation and delays that could take months or even years before the launch vehicle can resume flights.
NASA, meanwhile, faces the same uncertainties. Blue Origin was expected to play a central role in the agency’s program to return to the Moon.
As is known, the company is competing with SpaceX to develop lunar landers capable of transporting astronauts from Earth orbit to the Moon. NASA had planned to test one or both of these commercially developed landers during its Artemis III mission in 2027.
Just three days ago, Blue Origin also won a major contract to deliver two robotic lunar landers for NASA, with launches scheduled for later this year.
Commenting on the incident, experts note that the damaged launch pad is currently the only facility available for launching Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. Therefore, even if the rocket issues are assessed and resolved quickly, the company may still be left without a launch site.
What preceded this
It should be recalled that the accident occurred during a 28 May engine test at around 9:00 p.m. at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During the test, known as a static fire, the rocket is fueled and its engines are ignited to check onboard systems. The booster remains attached to the launch pad and does not lift off. However, during this test, an explosion occurred at Blue Origin.
On the same day, Space Force representatives confirmed that all personnel were safe and no injuries were reported as a result of the explosion.
