CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin exploded during a test at the launch pad Thursday night, shaking nearby homes and briefly painting the sky orange.
Blue Origin said its New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine-firing test being conducted ahead of a satellite launch planned for next week. No one was hurt, according to officials at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it," Bezos said via X. "Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
The massive New Glenn was grounded in April after it left a satellite in the wrong orbit because of engine failure. It was only the third flight of the rocket that Blue Origin intends to use to launch landers to the moon for NASA, including the landers that will take astronauts to the lunar surface.
The company had been on track to launch a prototype lunar lander to the moon on a flight test this fall. Earlier this week, the space agency awarded Blue Origin a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to launch a pair of moon buggies in the next few years as part of the Artemis program.
“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. He promised to provide information on any impacts to the Artemis program, including the moon base that he recently outlined.
Homes shook in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach around 9 p.m., with residents turning to social media to wonder what happened. Launch Complex 36 is visible from the beach, and the internet quickly filled with photos of an orange fireball.
The rocket was supposed to blast off next week with internet satellites that are part of the Amazon Leo constellation in orbit.
Emergency crews remained more than an hour after the explosion. Officials stressed there was no threat due to fumes or other potential hazards.
Space Force officials said the explosion would not affect upcoming launches by other companies from other pads. United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is due to blast off Friday night with a batch of Amazon Leo satellites, the same kind that this rocket was supposed to take up.
SpaceX's Elon Musk, who's had his own share of rocket explosions, offered his condolences. “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly,” he told Blue Origin via X.
Towering at 321 feet (98 meters), New Glenn made its debut in 2025. It is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, and is much bigger and more powerful than the New Shepard rockets that have carried tourists to the fringes of space from Texas.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes during an engine-firing test on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (@JConcilus via AP)
FILE - A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready for launch at the Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain is aiming for back-to-back Champions League titles in Saturday's final in Budapest. Arsenal is trying to win it for the first time.
The champions of France and England face off at Puskas Arena.
Titleholder PSG can become only the second team in the modern era to retain the trophy after Real Madrid won three in a row from 2016-18.
Arsenal, meanwhile, heads into the final on a high after ending its 22-year wait to claim the Premier League. The Gunners' only previous Champions League final was lost to Barcelona in 2006.
Here’s what to know about the Champions League final.
Kickoff has been brought forward to 1600 GMT, having traditionally been played in the evening. UEFA made the change to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics, such as public transport, in Budapest.
The final is being shown live on CBS and Paramount+ in the United States.
In Britain, the match is on pay-TV channel TNT Sports and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — an Arsenal fan — lobbied for it to be free-to-air without success.
American rock band The Killers will perform. In recent years, Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined the pre-match show.
Only Madrid has retained the European Cup since it was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.
AC Milan, Ajax, Juventus and Manchester United all lost in the final the year after winning the trophy, so PSG is on the brink of greatness.
Despite being one of the most storied teams in England, Arsenal has still to be crowned champion of Europe. Twenty years on from its only previous final, Arsenal aims to complete the greatest season in the club's history by winning a Premier League-Champions League double.
Victory would see Luis Enrique become only the fifth coach to win three or more Champions League or European Cup titles.
5 Carlo Ancelotti
3 Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola
The 67,000-seat stadium was opened in 2019 and built on the same site as the previous Ferenc Puskas Stadion — named after the Hungarian and Real Madrid icon who won three European Cups as a player.
2025 PSG
2024 Real Madrid
2023 Manchester City
2022 Real Madrid
2021 Chelsea
15 Real Madrid
7 AC Milan
6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool
5 Barcelona
4 Ajax
3 Manchester United, Inter Milan
The 2027 final will take place at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano. It will be the second time it stages the final after the 2019 showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham. The city of Madrid has hosted the final on five previous occasions.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique directs a training session ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Arsenal supporters pose for a photo the day before the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta meets the media ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal, in Budapest, Friday 29, 2026. (Ina Fassbender, Pool Photo via AP)
Arsenal's Declan Rice warms up during a training session ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele meets the media ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal, in Budapest, Friday 29, 2026. (Franck Fife, Pool Photo via AP)
