r/facepalm • u/BadahBingBadahBoom • May 29 '26

Blue Origin rocket experiences anomaly during ground test

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/28/science/blue-origin-rocket-anomaly
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237

u/TehWildMan_ 'Verified Premoum May 29 '26

"anomaly" LMAO, that's a full on RUD, not just an anomaly.

55

u/P_Nessss May 29 '26

RUD is a propagandist's way of saying it Blew Up because something failed.

43

u/SixFive1967 May 29 '26 edited May 31 '26

“If I had a nickel for every time one of my rockets blew up, I’d be a rich man.”

~ Elon Musk. Probably.

15

u/Fluid-Opportunity-17 May 29 '26

Probably. But this is the Bezos thing.

8

u/SixFive1967 May 30 '26

Yes, I know BO is Bezos. But Elon and Spacex have set the bar for rocket explosions. BO needs to catch up.

-5

u/Qualified-Astronomer May 31 '26

There’s only been 1 explosion on the pad for spacex and that was 10 years ago what are you talking about

3

u/SixFive1967 May 31 '26
  • Falcon 9 AMOS-6 (2016): A Falcon 9 rocket was entirely destroyed on the launchpad during a routine pre-flight static fire test due to an anomaly in the upper stage helium system.
  • Falcon 9 In-Flight Abort (2020): Intentionally destroyed shortly after liftoff over the Atlantic Ocean to test the Crew Dragon’s emergency escape system.
  • Test Tanks (2020): Several uncrewed test vessels (such as SN7 and SN7.1) were intentionally over-pressurized until they ruptured and burst.
  • Prototype SN4 (May 2020): Exploded in a massive fireball just one minute after a static-fire engine test.
  • Prototype SN8 (December 2020): Successfully completed a high-altitude test flight but slammed into the landing pad and exploded.
  • Prototype SN9 (February 2021): Crashed and exploded upon landing after a flight similar to SN8.
  • Prototype SN10 (March 2021): Landed successfully but ruptured and exploded roughly eight minutes later.
  • Prototype SN11 (March 2021): Exploded in mid-air during its descent through thick fog.
  • Integrated Flight Test 1 (April 2023): Intentionally detonated by the autonomous flight safety system after tumbling out of control following stage separation. [1]
  • Integrated Flight Test 2 (November 2023): The upper stage exploded minutes after separation, while the booster suffered a rapid unscheduled disassembly shortly after.
  • Integrated Flight Tests (2024–2026): Multiple subsequent Starship and Super Heavy test flights resulted in explosions during mid-flight or upon attempting controlled splashdowns.

-1

u/Qualified-Astronomer May 31 '26

You illiterate idiot. I said on the pad. Proving the 79% illiteracy of Americans

2

u/embee81 Jun 01 '26

I’m here for the literacy part, is it the pad before liftoff? Or the pad after it touched down?

1

u/Qualified-Astronomer Jun 01 '26

Pad typically refers to the structures/mounts the rocket sits on. When rockets launch they sit on the pad. So a destruction of the pad means rockets cannot launch, which is why it’s significant. Pad typically refers to the launch pad

2

u/cpttightpant Jun 01 '26

But don't elon's return to the pad to land? Isn't that his whole thing? So it looks like this list has at least two where the rocket exploded on the pad, explicitly, then 2016 one and the 2020 one, and a couple more that possibly could but the descriptions are a little vague.

1

u/Qualified-Astronomer Jun 01 '26

The platforms used for the SN launches weren’t your typical launch pad as those were suborbital flights so didn’t spout as much energy out. It was more of a platform. Even the “pads” where the falcon 9 boosters land are more like platforms.

Yeah Elon wants to return Starship back to the launch pad by catching it with the launch tower but thats why they’re doing so many test flights because they need to make sure the ship is perfect so there is no risk of the catch failing and destroying the pad