Blue Origin explosion is a major setback for NASA’s Moon plans and Amazon’s Starlink competitor

New Glenn rocket explodes at Launch Complex 36 on Thursday night in Florida. | Image: Spaceflight Now

While Blue Origin investigates the root cause behind last night's spectacular explosion of its New Glenn rocket, it's already clear that this will be a major setback for NASA's Moon base plans and Amazon's fledgling Leo space internet constellation.

The incident occurred at about 9pm at Blue Origin's Florida launch site during a hot-fire test, where seven engines in the booster stage are lit while keeping the 322-foot-tall rocket fixed to the launchpad. The explosion and ensuing fireball severely damaged the only launchpad Blue Origin has for its New Glenn rocket.

Here's our video of the explosion at Launch Complex 36. It happened about …

Read the full story at The Verge.