NASA Chief Says Blue Origin Has 'Honed In' on Cause of New Glenn Explosion: 'They're Going to Solve That'
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said investigators have "honed in already on a potential engine issue" as they examine the catastrophic Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explosion that damaged the company’s Cape Canaveral launch pad on May 28.
NASA Says Blue Origin Is Closing In
Speaking on CBS’s "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Isaacman told host Ed O’Keefe that NASA joined the probe from the beginning. He said he was on site the morning after the blast with Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp and a NASA team.
"We’ve helped provide subject matter experts to Blue Origin," Isaacman said. "We’re helping with anomaly investigation on the rocket. We’re helping with pad rebuild. Most importantly, we’re helping continue to move the lander along. We can’t slow down."
The New Glenn rocket exploded during ground testing, destroying the vehicle and badly damaging launch infrastructure, including equipment used to raise the rocket at Launch Complex 36.
Isaacman Says Setbacks Help Rockets Improve
Isaacman framed the setback as part of the learning curve in rocket development. "No one got hurt in this, so they’re gonna learn," he said. "They’re gonna fix their engine, they’re gonna rebuild their path, they’re gonna get back to launching rockets, NASA’s there to help."
Last week, Isaacman praised Blue Origin’s cleanup and recovery work, saying, "Blue Origin’s response to the situation is almost beyond impressive, and that’s not just a NASA assessment." U.S. Space Force officials have also been involved in the recovery planning.
Blue Origin officials, including Limp, said last Tuesday that the company aims to rebuild Launch Complex 36A, complete its anomaly investigation and launch New Glenn again before the end of the year. Limp said the vehicle had extensive data from cameras and sensors, giving Blue Origin confidence it can "identify and correct the root cause."
Artemis Timeline Depends On New Glenn Recovery
NASA has a major stake in the outcome. Blue Origin designed its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to carry cargo to the lunar surface using New Glenn’s 7-meter fairing, while it is developing the larger Mark 2 lander for crew and cargo missions under NASA safety requirements.
Isaacman said Sunday that NASA must keep the lander moving to support Artemis. He also called the moon a proving ground for deeper space goals, saying NASA wants near-monthly missions in 2027 to help build a lunar base and prepare for Mars.
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