CAPE CANAVERAL — A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a hotfire test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36 on Thursday evening. The explosion occurred around 21:00 local time (02:00 +1 GMT) during a test conducted ahead of an upcoming launch.

Blue Origin stated on social media that it “experienced an anomaly” during the hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for and are safe, according to the company.

Jeff Bezos wrote on social media: “It's too early to know the root cause but we're already working to find it. Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it.”

The U.S. Space Force said emergency responders are at the scene and officials are working with Blue Origin to evaluate available data to determine the exact cause of the anomaly. Brevard County Emergency Management stated there is no threat to the public from fumes or other potential hazards. The explosion caused nearby homes in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach to shake.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated it was aware of the incident and that the test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities. The FAA added that there was no impact to air traffic.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on X: “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”