The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifts off from LC36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 19, 2026. AP Photo/John Raoux
When Blue Origin’s rocket exploded on its Florida launch pad last week, it brought the launch capabilities of a chosen workhorse for NASA’s Moon Base missions to a complete halt.
No one was killed or hurt, but the accident destroyed the only launch pad designed to launch the rocket selected to kick off NASA’s Moon Base I mission to the lunar south pole. That mission was due to launch in a matter of months, as well as deliver a critical component of the Artemis III mission into low Earth orbit the following year.
