A Closer Look At The Damage To New Glenn's Launch Pad

YouTube ^ | May 29, 2026 | TheSpaceBucket

[SunkenCiv]

We're starting to get some of the first daytime images of LC-36, giving us a much better view of the pad. For context, last night, a New Glenn rocket was conducting a static fire in preparation for its fourth mission when it exploded. Not only was the vehicle lost, but the launch pad suffered extensive damage. Now that it's day, we can see the extent to which it's damaged and what's left after the dramatic loss of the vehicle. 

A Closer Look At The Damage To New Glenn's Launch Pad | 8:00 
TheSpaceBucket | 77.9K subscribers | 158,192 views | May 29, 2026

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TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: blueorigin; capecanaveral; nasa; newglenn

[SunkenCiv]

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:28 - Pad Aftermath

[SunkenCiv]

🚀🧑‍🚀👨‍🚀👩‍🚀

[Paladin2]

How much Science is involved here?

[Paladin2]

A before pic?

A difference graphic?

[SunkenCiv]

Blue Origin and Amazon Had Momentum. Then Came the Fireball.
Jeff Bezos was gaining ground on Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink. Thursday’s rocket explosion on a launchpad creates a major setback.
By Karen Weise
Reporting from Seattle
New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/technology/blue-origin-amazon-rocket-explosion.html

[Fido969]

“That’ll buff right out...”

[SunkenCiv]

If you were actually interested in this you'd have some idea about it before ever having come in here. There have been three topics about the kaboom, and there are search engines.

[SunkenCiv]

Gotta say, for the size of that fireball, it should have been much worse than this. I guess liquid methane really does burn cleaner. 😁

[tet68]

This is what rocket surgery looks like.
RUD.

[Tijeras_Slim]

It will be interesting to see how quickly they get the pad back up and running. My guess is much longer than Space X.

Elon’s big advantage is the corporate culture he’s built and the talent he’s attracted. You can’t help but think Bezos is somewhat of a dilettante.

If I was still at my “I can do 80 hours a week” age I would love to have signed on with Space X. Nothing better than a highly competent and motivated workplace with a real mission.

[Bob Ireland]

***Jeff Bezos was gaining ground on Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink. Thursday’s rocket explosion on a launchpad creates a major setback***

***This morning Bezos said he would “rebuild it”***

I suspect that this 'contract' was given to Bezos by the Autopen Admin to keep Elon Musk from getting it. The Bitem Autopen Admin took an attitude towards Musk, resented his ability to recover booster rockets; they had a judge demand that Musk prove that his rocket recovery system could not fail and kill marine life.

Then they discovered that they had two astronauts stranded on the Space Station and no way to bring them home. They had to go to Musk, hat in hand and crow in mouth, to ask him if he could send a vehicle to the ISS to see if anyone needed anything.

My understanding is that this 'Glenn' rocket is boosted by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Yikes! That seems like flirting with disaster - but that is a ways over my head.

The Hindenburg: Oh! The humanity! Thankfully no humans on board, no one injured on the ground. Now they say the whole Artemis Project is set back for some considerable time.

[norcal joe]

Yes, a Before-Explosion pic of the pad would have been very helpful.

[T.B. Yoits]

It will be interesting to see how quickly they get the pad back up and running.

The components will be delivered in 2-3 days via Amazon Prime.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Wow.

But threes across the road don’t look too badly burned. 8<)

(It is too easy to forget that most newer rocket explosions take place higher up. Hundreds of feet above the pad where the fireball has time to disperse and go up. Here, everything burned right around the pad and tower and refueling lines. Hold-down clamps, wires. Cables, instruments, sensors. Everything burned.

This rocket and second stage were much larger than Atlas, Titan, Atlas-Agena. SpaceXFalcon. Right? (Smaller than SpaceX latest though.)

[rlmorel]

I have been pondering that. Yeah. ABM.

Anybody.
But.
Musk.

It is the Leftist way...

[Tijeras_Slim]

TEMU launch pad

[Charles Martel]

Gotta say, for the size of that fireball, it should have been much worse than this. I guess liquid methane really does burn cleaner.

Nice visible shock waves, too. Not as impressive as that Beirut harbor blast from a few years ago, but that was a much larger payload of combustibles.

[Organic Panic]

It’s but a scratch.

Really though. That’s not that bad. Those erections...(snicker. HT Chuckie Schumer) are not complicated.

[Justa]

Heavy Duty Bondo and at least two coats of paint and she’ll be right as rain.

[Organic Panic]

Duct tape and baling wire. Lots of duct tape