Amazon’s plan to build out its Leo satellite internet constellation just hit a major wall.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which Amazon has paid $2.7 billion US to launch its satellites, exploded on the launch pad in Florida on Thursday during a pre-flight test. The blast caused severe damage to Blue Origin’s only launch pad, according to multiple employees who spoke to the Financial Times.
The timing is not good for Amazon, as the New Glenn was set to carry 48 Leo satellites into orbit on Monday. Those satellites are critical for Amazon to meet regulatory deadlines tied to the constellation’s build-out. With Blue Origin’s only launch pad now damaged and the rocket grounded indefinitely, Amazon has no obvious backup plan other than turning to SpaceX, its biggest competitor in the satellite internet race.
Watch the video of the explosion below:
This is the second time in recent months that New Glenn has let Amazon down. In April, the rocket deployed a satellite for AST SpaceMobile (which is set to support mobile satellite connectivity for Bell and Telus) at too low an altitude, causing it to fail. That mistake resulted in regulators grounding the rocket before clearing it for flight just last week.
Bezos reacted to the fiery explosion to say, “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.” Elon Musk replied, “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”
This delay means it could impact Apple’s iPhone plans, as back in April, Amazon acquired Globalstar, which provides satellite connectivity features for Apple. The plan was to have talk, text and data on iPhone powered by Leo satellites starting in 2028.
So how long is Blue Origin actually out of action? When SpaceX’s Falcon 9 exploded on a Cape Canaveral pad in September 2016, that pad was out of service for over a year. Blue Origin’s situation is worse because it only has one New Glenn launch pad and nowhere else to go while it rebuilds. Analysts say the investigation into the root cause will wrap up long before the pad itself is ready again. Realistically, Blue Origin could be grounded until late 2027 at the earliest.
For Amazon, the question now is how far back this pushes Leo and whether SpaceX’s Starlink widens its already significant head start while Blue Origin gets back on its feet.
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