Blue Origin rocket explodes into GIANT fireball on launchpad during test at Cape Canaveral in Florida

A Blue Origin rocket exploded into a giant fireball on a launchpad during a routine test on Thursday night.

The New Glenn rocket was undergoing a ‘hotfire test’ at Launch Pad 36 at around 9pm at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida when it burst into flames, Florida Today reports.

Shocking footage from the scene showed the launch pad start to light up as smoke erupted from the base of the rocket.

But soon, the base exploded into a ball of fire that soon consumed the entire rocket and later the entire launchpad.

The explosion sent a giant ball of fire stretching into the sky.

In a brief statement, Blue Origin officials posted on X: ‘We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.’

There were no reported injuries in the explosion and Brevard County Emergency Management officials said there was no threat to the general public. 

But following the explosion, residents across the Space Coast called local authorities to report sounds of an explosion, with dispatchers in nearby Cocoa Beach taking at least three calls, according to Florida Today. 

The explosion sent a giant ball of fire stretching into the sky

The 320-foot tall New Glenn rocket was expected to soon launch 48 Amazon Leo broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit.  

Blue Origin has not announced a target liftoff date for the mission, but the rocket had been slated to launch as early as June 4, according to a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory.

It is unclear how the rocket explosion may now affect those plans. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.