Blue Origin vows to resume New Glenn launches despite explosion

Space Blue Origin vows to resume New Glenn launches before end of year in wake of massive explosion By William Harwood William Harwood CBS News Space Consultant Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. Read Full Bio William Harwood Updated on: June 2, 2026 / 3:15 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Despite a spectacular launch pad explosion last week, Jeff Bezos's rocket company Blue Origin said Tuesday the damage was not as severe as initially feared and that the company plans to resume New Glenn rocket launches by the end of the year.Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, in a post on the social media platform X, said propellant tanks at launch pad 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station made it through the blast in good shape, as did a nearby processing hangar. The main support gantry, while damaged, can be repaired in place."Now that we've had access to the pad and integration facility we can share a bit of good news," Limp said. "The propellant farm, oxygen, liquid hydrogen and LNG [cryogenic methane] tanks are all in good shape. This is good luck because these are very long lead items."The water tower is also good. The big support tower is damaged, but it can be repaired in place rather than torn down and replaced." An aerial view of launch complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station showing the aftermath of the New Glenn explosion last Thursday.  Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now The New Glenn rocket that blew up on pad 36 last Thursday was destroyed along with its transporter-erector, used to move the rocket to the pad surface and then rotate it to vertical. But Limp said another New Glenn first stage booster and three upper stages housed in a large hangar-like "integration facility" at the base of the pad "look good.""We had already been working for some time on eliminating our transporter-erector in favor of...