Space3 min(s) read
Published 09:28 29 May 2026 GMT
Jeff Bezos has found himself in trouble after his Aerospace company, Blue Origin, failed to launch its latest rocket on Thursday (May 28).
The company's latest rocket test ended in disaster, as they had aimed to test their New Glenn rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Unfortunately for all involved, the rocket never left the launch pad, and just seconds after the test began, the spacecraft exploded in a violent fireball.
This explosion was so brutal, in fact, that it created an orange sky which could be spotted over 100 miles away, according to The Guardian.
The headache may be massive for Blue Origin, but according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic control was not affected.
They told CNN: "This test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities. There was no impact to air traffic."
But exactly how much money will this mishap cost Jeff Bezos?
The Amazon founder's rocket may have cost him millions of dollars in damage, despite Blue Origin not publicly revealing how much the spacecraft cost or how much damage was caused to the launch pad, as per TechCrunch.
Aerospace analysts have estimated that the New Glenn rocket would have cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Reuters.
Beyond this, the New Glenn development program has cost billions of dollars over a decade of development.
The unsuccessful launch damage could also add a significant amount to the bill.
The rocket was preparing for its fourth launch, and it was planned that it would carry Amazon internet satellites, before the explosion.
Taking to X, the billionaire described the failed launch as a "very rough day," taking to X and writing: "All personnel are accounted for and safe. 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."
Just days prior, it was announced that the aerospace company had secured the contract to launch the first of three planned missions this year to start construction of its $20 billion moon base.
New Glenn’s latest mission was set to carry 48 satellites to join Amazon Leo’s broadband constellation.
NASA responded to last night's incident, as NASA administratorJared Isaacman tweeted: "NASA is aware of the anomaly that occurred tonight at Launch Complex 36 involving Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
"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.
"We will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available."
It is currently unknown if the explosion will affect this year's scheduled missions, with the Florida launch pad now severely damaged.
