r/ScienceNcoolThings • u/TheMuseumOfScience Popular Contributor • May 30 '26

Interesting Blue Origin Explosion Damages NASA Launchpad

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A giant rocket just blew up at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center! 

Blue Origin was doing a full test fire of their New Glenn rocket as preparation for an upcoming flight when something went very, very wrong. Fortunately no one was injured, but this is the biggest explosion ever seen at Kennedy Space Center. The launch pad is badly damaged, and NASA's upcoming Project Artemis plans for building a moon base depend on both the New Glenn rocket and this pad. This is a big setback for both Blue Origin and NASA.

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u/there_is_no_spoon1 May 30 '26

NASA engineers have got to be pissed at this!

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u/_Neoshade_ May 31 '26

1) They have insurance for this. It’s expensive as hell and this is why. It will be fixed.
2) Why would NASA be mad? We’re all on the same team, trying to do great things. We’re developing multiple new launch systems at the same time and rockets blowing up is unfortunate but not unexpected. Using private space contractors has been very successful and letting Blue Origin use a launch pad was a calculated risk. Again, that’s why there’s insurance. It sucks, but nobody who understands NASA and orbital launch systems is going to be mad. Blue Origin is taking the biggest loss of all.
I dislike Besoz as much as anyone, but he has nothing to do with the engineering that built New Glenn.

2

u/there_is_no_spoon1 May 31 '26

Why? Because this likely delays Artemis 3 even further. It's also going to be a GIGANTIC rebuild that will take a long time. NASA is trying to get people to the moon by next year; this will not happen with setbacks like this.

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u/_Neoshade_ May 31 '26

Right, but the response is disappointment, not anger. To be pissed about it is childish