Link: https://spacenews.com/new-glenn-explosion-linked-to-rocket-engine-valve/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/space by /u/CurtisLeow on 2026-08-06 19:55:33+00:00.

WASHINGTON — Blue Origin has traced the explosion of its New Glenn rocket during a static-fire test in May to a valve in the rocket’s BE-4 engine, an issue that could also affect United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur.

In an Aug. 5 statement on social media, Blue Origin Chief Executive Dave Limp said the investigation into the May 28 explosion that destroyed a New Glenn rocket and severely damaged its launch pad traced the cause to a liquid oxygen valve in one of the first stage’s seven BE-4 engines.

“The anomaly originated at the main oxygen valve on one of the BE-4 engines, which was later confirmed by hardware recovery and inspections,” he said. “Extensive component-level and engine hotfire tests have been conducted to understand the failure mode better and inform mitigations.”