The 33 engines of the rocketβs booster stage had begun to ignite during Thursdayβs launch attempt, but were then shut down. SpaceX will try again on another day.
Almost forgotten now, the mission circled the Earth for 10 days, performing a series of tests with the lunar lander. What it lacked in glory it made up for in technological contributions.
NASAβs Artemis program has little room for error if it is to land astronauts on the moon by the end of 2028, but Blue Origin could be out of commission for at least a year.
The rocket, built by the Jeff Bezos-owned space company, was to carry 48 satellites into space. Blue Origin reported on social media that βall personnel have been accounted for.β