Blue Origin rocket explosion threatens NASA's Artemis moon mission timeline
By
Richard Tribou
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket suffered a catastrophic explosion on its Cape Canaveral launch pad, dealing a significant blow to NASA's Artemis moon mission plans. The incident could delay the space agency's timetable and potentially force NASA to rely solely on rival SpaceX, a scenario it had hoped to avoid. The launch pad damage is unknown, but a similar 2016 explosion resulted in a 15-month shutdown.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledBlue Origin is a central player in NASA's moon project, but those plans took a big hit Thursday night when one of Jeff Bezos' rockets catastrophically exploded into a giant mushroom cloud on its Cape Canaveral launch pad.
The mishap could leave the space agency with no alternative than rival SpaceX, a forced choice it has sought to avoid.
It's unknown how long it could take to get the pad up and running again — and the space agency's timetable for its next Artemis mission, which Blue Origin had hoped to be a part of, is just a year or so away.
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