Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explosion on the launch pad is a major setback for the company and NASA's moon program. The launch pad damage could take up to a year to repair, delaying Artemis III and threatening the goal of landing an American astronaut on the moon during Trump's term. SpaceX remains the only US heavy lift capability.
Yields
NDX
RUT
Oil
Metals
USD
Retired Astronaut, Former ISS Commander
2.5
Other
Chris Hadfield
6.0
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded on the pad during a hot fire test. How significant is this setback for Blue Origin and the space program?
Chris Hadfield
It's huge for Blue Origin—loss of a rocket and serious damage to the launch pad. There are significant ripple effects for everyone counting on this rocket, including NASA's moon program.
Kailey Leinz
If we can't guarantee safe travel for satellites, how do we get to safe travel for humans?
Chris Hadfield
It's nothing new—brand new rockets blow up. They'll figure out what happened and make the rocket better. But it will require multiple launches without human life before we trust it with people on board. Right now, the only heavy lift capability the US has is SpaceX.
Joe Mathieu
Artemis III is supposed to fly Blue Origin lunar landers next year. How catastrophic is the pad damage and how long could it ground New Glenn?
Chris Hadfield
When SpaceX had a similar explosion, it took them about a year to rebuild. Blue Origin only has one pad, so it could approach a year. This pushes the moon program back by a year, influencing the race with China.
Kailey Leinz
SpaceX is planning to go public at an astonishing $1.8 trillion valuation. Is that warranted given the struggles with launch cadence and success?
Chris Hadfield
The market is rapidly increasing. There's tremendous demand to reliably put large numbers of satellites into Earth orbit. But Blue Origin still needs a reliable rocket, and NASA was counting on this. All those cards now have to be reshuffled.
