Blue Origin pins oxygen‑valve fault as cause of New Glenn explosion

Blue Origin has completed its investigation into the May 28, 2026, explosion that destroyed the New Glenn heavy‑lift rocket during a static‑fire test at Cape Canaveral. The company identified a failure in the main liquid‑oxygen valve of one of the seven BE‑4 engines on the first stage as the root cause. CEO Dave Limp announced that small design modifications to the valve are already being fabricated and will be ready for installation by the end of August.

The fix is critical for New Glenn’s return to flight, which is tied to Amazon’s Leo satellite constellation and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch schedule, both of which use the BE‑4 engine. Delays could also affect NASA’s Artemis lunar‑landing program, which plans to launch the Blue Moon lander on a New Glenn vehicle. Blue Origin is rebuilding the damaged launch‑tower infrastructure while the updated hardware is tested on individual components and full‑engine assemblies.