Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Thursday night during a hotfire test — just 48 hours after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman tapped Jeff Bezos' space company for a critical role in NASA's Moon Base program. The New Glenn explosion at Launch Complex 36 destroyed the rocket, toppled the lightning protection tower, and damaged the pad Blue Origin needs for Moon Base Mission 1 this fall. Blue Origin confirmed all personnel are accounted for. No injuries reported. This is a massive setback for Blue Origin, NASA, and the United States in the new space race against China. Blue Origin was neck-and-neck with SpaceX's Starship in the competition to build the Artemis III and Artemis IV lunar lander that will return NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon. The company had also just been awarded nearly half a billion dollars in NASA contracts to deliver lunar terrain vehicles to the Moon's south pole. Here's what we know — and what it means for Artemis, the Moon Base, and the future of American spaceflight.

Exploring inner and outer space with Emmy Award-winning journalist Kristin Fisher — daughter of two NASA astronauts and former CNN space correspondent.

Reach & follow Kristin here: linktr.ee/kristinfisher 

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