Blue Origin’s New Glenn heavy rocket exploded during a static-fire test at
Kennedy Space Center last week. NASA administrator said on June 1 that repairing
the New Glenn–dedicated launch pad will take considerable time and may not be
completed until 2028. US media say the incident could delay Artemis crewed lunar
missions. NASA has multiple Artemis contracts with Blue Origin and had planned
to use New Glenn later this year to launch an uncrewed Blue Moon lander as the
first step toward a lunar base project.
