Massive explosion: New Glenn rocket explodes at launch site – A disaster for Blue Origin!
Video from the channel Shah Cyrux about New Glenn, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 11:26. Language: German. Video type: News.
What is reported
The video reports the explosion of the New Glenn vehicle prepared for the NG-4 mission at Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral, during a pre-flight static fire. The stage was loaded with methane and oxygen, and the pad's water deluge system was activated. Right after the ignition command there was an explosion in the engine area. The booster collapsed first, followed by the second stage, which also appears to explode. The mission was due to carry 48 Amazon satellites in early June, about 27 t, New Glenn's heaviest payload to date.
Context
The accident comes weeks after the NG-3 failure. In that mission, one of the second stage's BE-3U engines underperformed and AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellite ended up lost. The narrator explains what a static fire is for and what the transporter-erector-launcher that carries the 98 m rocket to the pad is. He also gives a rough estimate of the energy released. He also recalls a precedent: the Falcon 9 that exploded on September 1, 2016, at SLC-40 during fueling ahead of a static fire.
What it means
The vehicle is lost. According to the narrator, the transporter-erector will be badly damaged, and Blue Origin reportedly has only one; in addition, at least one lightning tower appears to have fallen. Since LC-36 is New Glenn's only pad, he expects months of repairs and does not foresee a new launch before 2027. He also points to possible effects on ULA's Vulcan, which uses BE-4 engines, on Artemis III, and on Amazon's plans.