Blue Origin identifies faulty oxygen valve as cause of New Glenn explosion

Blue Origin has traced May's New Glenn pad explosion to a faulty oxygen valve on a BE-4 engine and plans retrofits by end of August, while customers face delays.

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Blue Origin has identified the root cause of the New Glenn explosion that destroyed the rocket during a static fire test at Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral on May 28, 2026. Chief executive Dave Limp said the anomaly originated at the main oxygen valve on one of the seven BE-4 engines that power the first stage. The incident occurred during a hot-fire test in preparation for a launch planned as soon as June 4, and the rocket was topped with a payload of 48 Amazon Leo satellites at the time.

Limp provided the update more than two months after the blast, describing the fix as relatively straightforward. "We're making small modifications to the valve that can be quickly retrofitted to existing engines," he said, adding that the updated hardware should be ready by the end of August 2026. He noted that Blue Origin is still working through the remaining fault tree analysis.

The BE-4 engine, fueled by liquid methane and liquid oxygen, produces 640,000 pounds of force at liftoff. New Glenn's engines differ from those used on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, which carries two BE-4s per first stage; the New Glenn versions include features for relight, landing, and reuse. A ULA spokesperson said Blue Origin will perform the necessary modifications to Vulcan BE-4 engines at ULA's Decatur, Alabama plant and at Cape Canaveral facilities.

ULA's most recent Vulcan flight, the USSF-87 mission for the U.S. Space Force in February 2026, was grounded due to a solid rocket booster anomaly unrelated to the BE-4 engines. The spokesperson said an integrated government-contractor team is investigating the SRB issue and will not fly until root cause is identified and corrective action implemented, with a goal of returning Vulcan to flight this year. ULA is conducting fueling tests at Space Launch Complex 41, including a wet dress rehearsal scheduled for today, August 6.

The explosion heavily damaged Launch Complex 36, Blue Origin's sole orbital launch site, and the company is installing new doors at the Integration Facility there: six door panels on the North side, each 88 feet tall and weighing about 40,000 pounds, with a total door opening width of roughly 196 feet.

The New Glenn's return to flight is critical for several customers. Amazon's Project Kuiper relies on New Glenn's ability to launch more Leo satellites per flight than Atlas 5, Ariane 6, Falcon 9, or Vulcan. AST SpaceMobile had planned to use New Glenn to fly batches of eight BlueBird Block 2 satellites at once, compared to three on a Falcon 9.

NASA is counting on New Glenn to demonstrate the Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander. John Couluris, Blue Origin's senior vice president of Lunar Permanence, said the first lander, named Endurance, is now expected to launch in Q1 2027, originally planned for around the end of summer 2026. "We are working to have serial number one ready and stored in a quiescent state for when New Glenn is ready," he said. "We expect that launch to occur in Q1 of 2027. And once that's complete, we'll now continue on to serial numbers two, three and four."