Blue Origin’s “Day-Limp” probe: why the New Glenn rocket blew up

• Blue Origin says the cause of the New Glenn rocket’s failure after the 28.05 incident
• Earlier, the company said it would investigate the incident further, and that it was using camera footage
• Plan to deliver new hardware for the rocket’s launch system transporter-erector

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Blue Origin says it has been able to determine the likely cause of the New Glenn rocket’s explosion during the test launch, with general director Dave Limp pointing to a specific issue with the transporter-erector on 30.06.2026.

“We’re still looking for the exact cause,” the company said, adding that it is investigating the incident using “extensive data from multiple camera angles and sensors” to pinpoint what happened.

The rocket exploded on 28.05 during a test countdown, with the rocket going down before the fourth stage. Nothing was damaged, and New Glenn was not fully fueled at the time.

Limp also said that, to determine the cause of the rocket’s failure, Blue Origin needs to examine the launch site’s hardware and start investigating the transporter-erector, which it believes caused the New Glenn malfunction; the company also noted that it is conducting additional checks.

According to the company, the main reason for the failure was that the rocket’s launch system was damaged during the test, which may have changed the conditions for the rocket’s operation.

Blue Origin’s general director Dave Limp said the company would continue investigating the incident and that it had already identified the likely cause. The company also said it planned to resume the New Glenn launch attempts by the end of 2026.

Earlier, the company planned to launch New Glenn 12 times by 2026. After the incident, the company’s maintenance team will inspect the rocket’s hardware.

Tags: Technology/Space/Aviation