Sound synchronized from @NASASpaceflight footage pic.twitter.com/EWr9t8iegP

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) May 29, 2026

This, on a static fire, is a major setback for commercial space in general, and Blue Origin in particular. More anon.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Eric Berger has the latest.

It strikes me a that this may have been a demonstration of the recently discovered explosive potential of LOX/methane, which Dugway tests showed was equivalent to TNT.

Silver lining: The Space Force just got good data on methane exclusion zones.

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 29, 2026

[Friday-morning update]

Stephen Green has the latest at PJMedia.

We’ll see how fast they can recover, but it certainly puts more pressure on SpaceX to get through their mishap investigation and get back to testing.

[Update a while later]

WOW! Remarkable video from 5 miles from the launch pad in Jetty Park. Watch that fireball, and listen around 35 seconds into the video for the massive audible explosion.

📸: John Concilus pic.twitter.com/5Ow9Q6Dd3L

— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) May 29, 2026

Blue Origin just vaporized a rocket, a launch pad, and Amazon's entire satellite deployment timeline in nine seconds.

NG-4 was supposed to fly June 4 carrying 48 Amazon Leo satellites. That mission was the first of 24 contracted Blue Origin launches Amazon needs to build its… https://t.co/Pz2Su6925C

— Aakash Gupta (@aakashgupta) May 29, 2026

I clipped this from the old 1985 PBS documentary Space Flight. About four minutes. Worth the watch, not just for the footage of the rocket failures, but especially for German engineer Krafft Ehricke's explanation on why the first ballistic missile of the modern age was such a… pic.twitter.com/NlbVileszT

— Brad R. Torgersen (@BradRTorgersen) May 29, 2026

I knew Krafft when I was at Rockwell, because we had him on retainer as a consultant.

[Early-afternoon update]

Eric Berger: Why last night’s event was so catastrophic.

It’s sure a headache for Jared. At this point, Gwynne Shotwell is more important to American space activities than either the NASA administrator or General Saltzman.

[Update a few minutes later]

An aerial survey of the damage:

There's a lot to unpack with LC-36 since New Glenn's explosion last night, so here's a thread on everything I saw from the air this morning:

📸 – @LaunchHeavenX https://t.co/gri5w4j3xg pic.twitter.com/ctWtNeVk8a

— Asher B. (@asherbphotos) May 29, 2026

It seems to me that Bezos could solve this problem on his own, but maybe he’s tired of financing it all himself if he can find Other Peoples’ Money.

Aetherflux has rebranded from a space power company to a launch company, dedicated to its own satellites.