The company, owned by Jeff Bezos, said its New Glenn rocket would launch this week. A second stage failure derailed the vehicle’s third flight last month.

Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was gearing up for a June launch to put a batch of Amazon "Leo" internet satellites into orbit.

A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin exploded during a test at the launch pad Thursday night, shaking nearby homes and briefly painting the sky orange. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

Footage of the incident shows the rocket erupting into a massive fireball, sending towering flames and thick smoke into the night sky.

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NASA has confirmed that a meteor was the cause of a mysterious big boom that was heard by millions across New England over the weekend.

The destruction of Jeff Bezos's New Glenn rocket clouds NASA's lunar timeline and deepens reliance on SpaceX, as the U.S. races China to the moon.