NASA helps Blue Origin investigate New Glenn rocket explosion

Isaacman said in an interview on CBS on the subject: “The explosion that occurred in the New Glenn heavy space rocket last May may have been caused by a technical failure in its engine.”

Isaacman pointed out that NASA is providing assistance to Blue Origin, which developed the rocket, to investigate the causes of the accident, as well as in the process of repairing the launch pad that was damaged by the explosion. He said: “We are continuing to work on the spacecraft that we are developing to explore the moon, which is supposed to be launched by a New Glenn rocket. We cannot slow down our pace of working on this project. Of course Blue Origin will address the defect in its rocket. They are focusing on the potential engine problem, and they will work to fix it.”

Isaacman stated earlier that repairing the launch pad that was damaged by the missile explosion may take about two years, praising the efforts made by Blue Origin in the repair operations.

Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy space rocket exploded late last May while it was being tested at the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida. The head of the company developing the missile announced that the cause of the explosion had not yet been determined, while the company announced via the "X" platform that a defect had occurred during the test, confirming that none of its employees were injured as a result of the incident.

For its part, Politico newspaper, citing its own sources, indicated that the explosion may delay Blue Origin’s plans to participate in NASA’s lunar exploration program for a year, as it was expected that the New Glenn rocket would be used to deliver the Blue Moon vehicle to the moon.