Blue Origin CEO says New Glenn will return to flight before year-end

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company's New Glenn rocket will return to flight before year-end, days after an explosion during a hot-fire test Thursday destroyed a launch pad support tower at Cape Canaveral in one of the company's worst setbacks since its founding in 2000.

The blast — which injured no one and occurred with no satellites aboard — marks one of Blue Origin's most dire failures since billionaire Jeff Bezos founded the company in 2000, and adds uncertainty to Amazon's schedule for deploying its Leo internet satellite constellation.

Key assets at the launch pad survived largely intact. Fuel tanks at the pad "are all in good shape," Limp said, calling their survival "good luck" because replacing them would have taken a long time. Nearby rocket boosters earmarked for upcoming missions "also look good," he said, according to The Korea Times.

The pad's main support tower sustained damage and will require repair before the next launch attempt. No satellites were aboard New Glenn during the Thursday test — a routine pre-launch procedure in which engines are ignited while the rocket remains fixed to the ground — and no injuries were reported.

The explosion follows a mission failure in April on New Glenn's third flight, intensifying pressure on Blue Origin as it races to raise its launch cadence against rival SpaceX, led by CEO Elon Musk.

The timing poses a challenge for Amazon, which had been preparing to send 48 internet satellites into orbit for its Leo constellation aboard New Glenn. The company holds contracts with multiple launch partners — including United Launch Alliance and Arianespace — providing some buffer. On Friday, a ULA Atlas V rocket placed 29 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit, The Korea Times reported.

SpaceX experienced a comparable crisis in 2016, when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its launch pad; the company returned the vehicle to flight within four months. Limp's public commitment to a year-end return suggests Blue Origin is targeting a recovery on a similar timeline.

Founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin has long trailed SpaceX in launch frequency. Whether the company can deliver on Limp's year-end timeline will be a critical test of its ability to compete in an increasingly crowded commercial launch market.