Blue Origin says fuel tanks and key pad components survived the New Glenn explosion, pledges to fly again this year

Blue Origin has disclosed that last week’s New Glenn rocket explosion at Cape Canaveral spared the launch pad’s fuel tanks and several other critical components, offering the company a faster path back to flight than the initial images of the blast suggested. CEO Dave Limp said the methane, hydrogen, and oxygen tanks “look to be in good shape,” the water tank is undamaged, and the support tower still standing can be repaired in place. A booster and other rocket hardware stored nearby also survived.

“We will fly again before the end of this year,” Limp said in a post on X, calling the assessment “a bit of good news.” The explosion, which occurred during an engine-firing test of New Glenn’s seven BE-4 first-stage engines, destroyed the lightning tower and the transporter-erector used to move and hoist the rocket, and sent shock waves...

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