The interview took place barely 2 hours on May 28, 2026 after the disastrous explosion took place around 9 p.m. ET just after the start of a hold down static fire test with ignition of the seven first stage BE-4 engines at Space Launch Complex-26 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
The first stage and second stage and transporter erector (TE) were completely destroyed and the pad infrastructure also suffered significant damage.
Within 20 minutes of the explosion I was called by phone for interview requests by multiple TV media outlets for my commentary on the impacts and aftermath – including WFTV ABC News Orlando, WESH 2 NBC News Orlando, BBC World News, Orlando Business Journal
Watch my complete live commentary on Fox 35 Orlando 11 p.m. news show here:
https://youtu.be/P1Tzsg9WTS4?si=KkM7r2TBYNz8taTB
Caption: Space expert on Blue Origin explosion: ‘They will recover’. Space expert Ken Kremer, founder of Space UpClose, said there are a lot of smart people working on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. He said Thursday night’s [May 28] test failure may shake credibility in the short term, but “they will recover.” “They will recover. You can’t just give up when something goes wrong. But it also means you have to redouble your efforts,” he said during the Fox 35 Orlando 11 p.m ET live news show. Credit: Fox 35 Orlando
The static fire tests are routinely done. But they are never routine
The purpose is to check out the engine and all the rocket systems to ensure they will function properly during a real launch attempt.
Space expert Ken Kremer, founder of Space UpClose, said there are a lot of smart people working on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. He said Thursday night’s [May 28] test failure may shake credibility in the short term, but “they will recover.” “They will recover. You can’t just give up when something goes wrong. But it also means you have to redouble your efforts,” he said during the Fox 35 Orlando 11 p.m ET live news show. Credit: Fox 35 Orlando
Blue Origin is founded and owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.” Blue Origin posted May 28.
“All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it,” Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos posted on X.
Ken Kremer recent TV interviews
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