Space: Blue Origin rocket explodes on launch pad during engine test

Cape Canaveral (LaPresse/AP) – A Blue Origin rocket exploded on Thursday evening during a test on the launch pad, causing nearby homes to shake. Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin said its New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine ignition test. All personnel have been accounted for, the company said via X. Emergency services officials said there was no danger from smoke or other potential risks. The imposing New Glenn had been grounded in April after a satellite was left in the wrong orbit due to an engine failure. This was only the third flight of the rocket that Blue Origin uses to launch lunar landers for NASA.