A routine test at Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida has turned into a financial and technological nightmare for billionaire Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company. The giant $100 million New Glenn rocket has exploded, completely destroying the launch pad.
The incident occurred during a static engine test. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the material damage is colossal.
"A very difficult day, but we will rebuild everything we need and get back to flying," Bezos wrote on the social network X, adding that it is still too early to determine the exact cause of the explosion.
Even his rival, Elon Musk, reacted with the Latin phrase: "Ad astra per aspera" (To the stars through hardships).
This disaster is expected to have serious consequences for NASA's plans and its "Artemis" mission to create a permanent base on the Moon.
Blue Origin had recently won the contract to deliver the "Blue Moon Mark I" lunar module and scientific equipment, a mission planned to be launched within this year, precisely with the destroyed rocket.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that they are monitoring the situation closely.
"Spaceflight is ruthless. We will work with our partners to investigate this anomaly and assess the impact on our lunar programs," he said.
Repairs to the launch pad are expected to take months, causing imminent plans for Amazon's satellite launches and collaboration on the Artemis III mission next year to face inevitable delays.