Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, which exploded during testing on Thursday, was set to ferry 48 Amazon Leo satellites on Monday; Amazon paid Blue Origin $2.7B
Failure comes days before planned launch of internet satellites for Amazon
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Blue Origin Rocket Explodes Days Before Major Amazon Satellite Launch
New Glenn rocket blows up during testing, derailing a planned Monday launch of 48 Amazon internet satellites.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket went boom during a test on Thursday, torching a mission that was supposed to carry 48 Amazon LEO internet satellites into orbit the following Monday.
The failure is a significant blow to Amazon's satellite internet ambitions. The company had shelled out a hefty $2.7 billion to Blue Origin — both companies, of course, creatures of Jeff Bezos — for launch services.
The explosion adds yet another delay to Amazon's push to build out its low Earth orbit constellation, a direct competitor to SpaceX's Starlink. Losing a rocket days before a scheduled payload delivery is about as bad as timing gets.
No word yet on what caused the test failure or how long the setback will push back Amazon's satellite deployment timeline. That $2.7 billion price tag stings a little more today.