Blue Origin explosion hits NASA timeline + Artemis III crew
6/12/202612 min
When Blue Origin’s New Glenn spacecraft exploded in an enormous fireball during a ground test a couple weeks ago, it sent shockwaves not only through the air, but through NASA’s timeline for the upcoming Artemis missions.
It also came at an especially bad time for Jeff Bezos’ rocket company—just days after it was awarded a slew of NASA contracts to deliver equipment to the moon. Blue Origin had also been expected to play a major role in the upcoming Artemis III and IV missions, but that’s now more up in the air depending on how soon the company can rebuild its only launchpad.
And with NASA’s Artemis III crew announcement this week, Guest Host Jane Lindholm sits down with space reporters Ken Chang and Brendan Byrne to break it all down and what’s next for the space program.
Guests:
Ken Chang is a science reporter at the New York Times, where he covers NASA and the solar system.
Brendan Byrne is a space reporter for Central Florida Public Media and host of the podcast “Are We There Yet.”
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Jane Lindholm· Host0:15
[digital music] Hi, I'm Jane Lindholm, filling in for Flora and Ira, and you're listening to Science Friday. [rocket exploding] When Blue Origin's New Glenn spacecraft exploded in an enormous fireball during a ground test a couple of weeks ago, it sent shockwaves not just through the air, but through NASA's timeline for the upcoming Artemis missions. While there's never a good time for an explosion like that, it comes at an especially bad time for the Jeff Bezos rocket company, which was awarded a slew of NASA contracts just days before the incident to deliver rovers and drones to the moon. It had also been expected to play a major role in the upcoming Artemis III and IV missions, but that's now up in the air depending on how soon Blue Origin can rebuild its only launch pad. And with NASA's Artemis III crew announcement this week, we have a lot to talk about, so let's get to it with Ken Chang, a science reporter for The New York Times, where he covers NASA and the solar system, and Brendan Byrne, space reporter for Central Florida Public Media. Ken, Brendan, welcome to Science Friday.
Brendan Byrne· Guest1:23
Thanks, Jane.
Ken Chang· Guest1:24
Thanks.
Jane Lindholm· Host1:24
Brendan, how big a deal was the explosion in terms of NASA's schedule, and what