On May 31, Reuters reported that Blue Origin faced months-long launch delays after a rocket explosion damaged the launch pad, according to information disclosed by Blue Origin and industry insiders. The accident disrupted Amazon's satellite launch plans and further consolidated SpaceX's dominant position in the commercial launch market.
Blue Origin's damaged launch pad
The accident occurred during Blue Origin's engine firing tests for next week's launch of its New Glenn rocket and comes at a critical time for Jeff Bezos' business empire. His Blue Origin and Amazon are trying to gain a foothold in heavy-lift launch vehicles and global satellite internet networks to become competitive challengers to compete with Musk's SpaceX.
People familiar with the matter said the launch pad was "almost completely destroyed" and engineers expected the accident to disrupt launches for at least six months and possibly longer.
"Just a year ago, SpaceX's starship also exploded on the launch pad. Blue Origin was also able to recover, but the reconstruction work will take months." Antoine Grenier, partner and head of the aerospace consulting business at consulting firm Analysys Mason, said.
In 2016, after a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad, SpaceX spent more than a year repairing the damaged facilities, but the company moved launch operations to a second launch pad in Florida, allowing launches to resume within four and a half months.