Blue Origin's Rocket Engine Explodes During Test

One of Blue Origin's powerful BE-4 rocket engines suffered a dramatic failure during testing last month, according to CNBC, Mike Wall reported for Space.com.

Photo Insert: The BE-4 — the engine that will power Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket and United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur — went "boom" 10 seconds into the test.

The BE-4 — the engine that will power Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket and United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur — exploded about 10 seconds into the test, which Blue Origin conducted at its West Texas facility on June 30, CNBC's Michael Sheetz reported.

Blue Origin is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

People familiar with the anomaly "described having seen video of a dramatic explosion that destroyed the engine and heavily damaged the test stand infrastructure," Sheetz wrote.

The engine was being prepped to fly on the second launch of Vulcan Centaur. Blue Origin confirmed that detail, as well as the testing incident, in a statement sent to CNBC.

"No personnel were injured, and we are currently assessing root cause," Blue Origin said.

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