NASA is assisting the investigation into Blue Origin’s May rocket explosion, its administrator confirmed Sunday, as the space agency tries to keep up the momentum for its Artemis moon program.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn heavy rocket exploded during a test on May 28, producing a massive fireball that destroyed the rocket and significantly damaged the launch site. No one was killed or injured in the blast, but the malfunction threatened the timeline to return humanity to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years, as the rocket in question and its payload could be selected for Artemis IV, the first crewed lunar landing since 1972.
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The cause of the explosion is still being investigated, but NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation that the space agency is supporting Blue Origin in its investigation and expressed optimism that the company will solve the anomaly responsible for the New Glenn rocket’s catastrophic failure.
“NASA has been playing a role in this from the beginning. … We’ve helped provide subject matter experts to Blue Origin. We’re helping with anomaly investigation on the rocket. We’re helping with pad rebuild,” Isaacman said, noting he was on-site with Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp the morning after the incident.
“Most importantly, we’re helping continue to move the lander along. We can’t slow down,” he added, referring to Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander. “They’re going to get their arms around the anomaly. They’ve honed in already on a potential engine issue. They’re going to solve that.”
Following Artemis II, in which astronauts flew by the moon in the Orion spacecraft launched by NASA’s Space Launch System, Artemis III (planned for 2027) will test the next stage of the mission: docking with the lunar lander. Two landers will be tested, in low Earth orbit rather than during a lunar flyby, but the mission won’t be without drama, for the two companies vying to have their lander selected for the full lunar landing in Artemis IV, Blue Origin and SpaceX, are led by two of the richest men in the world, Bezos and Elon Musk.
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The New Glenn rocket will be used to launch the Blue Moon test lander for Artemis III — it is the only rocket capable of carrying Blue Moon due to its wide payload fairing — further adding to the drama following May’s failure, and should NASA select the Blue Moon lander for the crewed lunar landing on Artemis IV (planned for 2028), the New Glenn rocket will be used yet again, so its reliability is paramount.
“We’ve got to keep the lander progressing and ensure we have the right outcome,” Isaacman said, “which is a successful Artemis III mission. And then we land on Artemis IV.”
