NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has indicated that repairing the launch pad damaged by last week's Blue Origin rocket explosion will "require a considerable amount of time."
Last Thursday, during a hot-fire test of the massive New Glenn rocket at the U.S. Space Force launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida, a sudden explosion occurred. Jeff Bezos confirmed that all Blue Origin personnel were safe following the incident, pledged to rebuild the project, and described it as a "very bad day."
In an interview on Monday local time, Isaacman stated that 2028 is a "possible timeframe" for the launch pad's restoration.
Isaacman said: "We are all organizing around a common goal, which is that we certainly want to see Blue Origin achieve great success. So, restoring the launch pad, providing expertise, conducting root cause analysis—these are all essential. Let's identify the problem and then move forward."
Isaacman, Bezos, and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp visited the launch pad last Friday and addressed the space startup's employees. Limp posted on X on Saturday, stating that Blue Origin has since regained partial access to the launch pad and has developed a reconstruction plan.
As part of NASA's Artemis program, Blue Origin holds multiple contracts with NASA. The program aims to return American astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028. NASA has contracted Blue Origin to launch the unmanned "Blue Moon" lander, named MK1, using the New Glenn rocket later this year.
Isaacman noted that delivering the lander to the moon requires a rocket capable of carrying a substantial payload. He pointed out that this would likely lead NASA to favor the "Falcon Heavy rocket," referring to the super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
"When it comes to heavy lift, true heavy lift, both SpaceX and Blue Origin are in consideration, though obviously one company is currently conducting launch missions," Isaacman stated.
"We have a wealth of data. In fact, one of the first datasets my team released shows that throughout the history of human spaceflight, every launch pad we've built, and every one we've rebuilt, has documented its construction and reconstruction timelines," Isaacman said. "Even with accelerated progress, rebuilding takes a considerable amount of time."
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