Blue Origin still doesn’t know what caused its New Glenn rocket to explode last month

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is doubling down on its massive New Glenn rocket again this year after last month’s explosion. But the company still doesn’t know why this explosion happened in the first place.

In his most detailed public statement about the explosion to date, CEO Dave Limp wrote on Blue Origin’s website Tuesday that his company is still trying to “identify and correct the root cause” of the explosion. “Early analysis points to the back section of the first stage” of the rocket, Limp wrote, saying the company is pulling “extensive data from multiple camera angles and sensors.”

After spending more than a decade developing New Glenn slowly and deliberately, Blue Origin has been moving quickly with the new rocket. Its first launch was in January 2025, and New Glenn was preparing to fly for the fourth time when it was launched. It exploded during testing on May 28 this year. (No one was injured in the explosion.)

Blue Origin wants to return the rocket to flight as quickly as possible because the company has become one of the major players in NASA’s effort to return humans to the moon before President Trump leaves office.

To do this, Blue Origin will not only need to determine and fix the cause of last month’s explosion, but it will also need to rebuild the company’s launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, as it is currently the company’s only launch pad that can support the massive rocket.

In his post, Limp praised Blue Origin employees for making rapid progress on this front.

The company lost a lightning tower in the explosion, as well as a large piece of equipment that transports New Glenn to the launch pad and stands on it (known as a carrier-erector). Nearby buildings at the site were also damaged in the explosion. However, the company “has had plenty of breaks, too, and intends to make the most of them,” Lemp wrote.

Some of these breaks include the fact that the site’s water tower, gas tanks, and missile fusion facility are “in good condition.”

Limp shared more details about how Blue Origin will change its current launch complex at Cape Canaveral. The company is ditching the concept of a carrier and barge, and will instead use a massive crane to place New Glenn on the launch pad before flights.

Besides allowing Blue Origin to return to flying sooner than expected, this approach should increase New Glenn’s flying cadence, Limp said. Blue Origin was planning up to 12 launches this year before the May explosion.