Blue Origin tower rebuilt 150 days after New Glenn explosion

Residents of Brevard County are seeing a new structure standing at Launch Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp announced on Saturday that the Vehicle Access Tower for the New Glenn rocket has been rebuilt and restacked. This marks the completion of repairs five months after the rocket exploded during a static fire test.

Limp shared a time-lapse video of the assembly on X, describing the work as a monumental effort. He stated, "The Vehicle Access Tower is fully assembled, with every module repaired and back in place. This was a monumental effort. Proud of Team Blue." The tower stands where the original structure was damaged in the May incident.

The timeline of the recovery begins on May 28, 2026. On that date, the New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test. The blast sent a fireball into the night sky and shook homes and businesses near the Space Coast. In August, Blue Origin identified the cause as a faulty oxygen valve that failed during the engine hot fire test. The company has not disclosed the specific technical repairs made to the rocket's first or second stages.

NASA is coordinating closely with Blue Origin to support launch readiness. Jeremy Parsons, manager of the NASA Artemis Program, said more than 100 federal agency teams are directly collaborating with the company. Parsons noted, "I see that team fighting for every single day figuring out how to shave hours off. We have over 100 NASA teams engaged throughout return to flight." The goal is to support the return of American astronauts to the moon.

Space analysts note that Blue Origin has released limited information regarding the root causes of the failure. Ken Kremer, managing editor of Space UpClose, said, "We have heard basically nothing from Blue Origin about the status of the rocket. We don't know the status of any fixes they’ve made on either the first or second stage." Officials have not yet set a target launch date for follow-up tests on the vehicle.

Blue Origin has stated it wants to return to flight before the end of 2026. While the tower at Launch Complex 36 is rebuilt, the company is also expanding its footprint on the Space Coast. Workers are currently pouring concrete and setting foundational structures at Launch Complex 36B. Kremer identified this second site as the location for major construction of a new pad for the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket.

The reconstruction of the tower and the development of the new pad represent the current operational status for the company in Brevard County. The next major milestone will be the scheduling of additional tests for the rocket, a date that remains to be officially announced by Blue Origin and NASA.