CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Jeff Bezos鈥� said Tuesday that last week鈥檚 spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad.
, the company’s massive blew up during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A lightning tower and the transporter-erector used to move and hoist the rocket were destroyed in the blast that sent shock waves across the state.
CEO Dave Limp said the methane, hydrogen and oxygen tanks look to be in good shape. The water tank is also fine and the support tower that’s still standing can be repaired in place. A booster and other rocket parts housed nearby were not damaged.
Overall, this was 鈥渁 bit of good news,鈥� Limp said in an X update, adding: 鈥淲e will fly again before the end of this year.鈥�
The cause is still under investigation.
Just two days before the accident, NASA awarded a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Blue Origin, choosing New Glenn rockets to launch a pair of rovers to the moon ahead of the arrival of the first Artemis moonwalkers who will drive them. New Glenn also is needed to launch the company’s Blue Moon lander that will be used to get astronauts to the lunar surface in the coming years.
NASA is aiming for as early as 2028 for the first moon landing by astronauts since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The space agency will 鈥渄o all we can鈥� to get the pad back in action as soon as possible 鈥渨hile staying extremely focused on progressing the lander,鈥� Administrator said via X.
Blue Origin鈥檚 New Glenn line of reusable rockets 鈥� named after John Glenn, the first American in orbit 鈥� has launched only three times. It鈥檚 not nearly as big as SpaceX鈥檚 Starship that is making test flights to the fringes of space from Texas. NASA has ordered up Starships, in addition to Blue Moon landers, to get Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface in the years ahead.
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