The latest development in space exploration saw a devastating loss of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket after an explosion that turned out to be a huge fireball occurred during the pre-launch testing of the rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Thursday evening, May 28. During the hotfire test of its seven BE-4 engines powered by methane, the explosion took place. No one was hurt in the blast.
What Happened on the Pad
According to NASA, hotfire tests are a common practice on the ground. In this process, the engines of the spacecraft are fired for a short time while the vehicle is still grounded to test its readiness for flight. However, while Thursday’s launch attempt saw the ignition of the engines of the first stage of New Glenn, there was a glitch at the bottom part of the rocket. The first stage of the rocket caught fire, and its second stage began to tilt, after which the fuel of the rocket, which is made up of methane and liquid oxygen, exploded.
Implications for NASA and Amazon
Not only will be affected by the issue. The New Glenn rocket is the rocket being used for the Blue Origin lunar lander, chosen by NASA along with SpaceX’s Starship for its Artemis Program, and which plans to take humans back to the Moon in 2028. A prototype version of Blue Moon had been slated to launch soon. NASA’s Administrator, Jared Isaacman, stated that there would be a look into the effects it will have on the Artemis Program and the Moon base mission. Additionally, the 49 satellites from Amazon’s Kuiper satellite constellation are to be affected.
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