Multiple sources said a more realistic timeline for Blue Origin to rebuild its pad and launch from there is 12 to 18 months. If this were to occur, it would significantly set back NASA and its Artemis Program, which is relying on the New Glenn rocket and Blue Moon lander for both cargo and eventually crewed missions to the lunar surface.

Blue Origin says it should be able to launch its New Glenn rocket before the end of 2026, which could help AST SpaceMobile.

Blue Origin’s journey toward launching New Glenn began in 2016 when Jeff Bezos first unveiled plans for the heavy-lift rocket. Named after astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn represents a vision of expanding humanity’s access to space.

Blue Origin faces a formidable challenge that goes beyond simply replacing the New Glenn rocket it lost in last week’s explosion: rebuilding a destroyed launchpad that took years to construct.

The BE-4 engine is the “most powerful liquefied natural gas fuelled rocket engine ever developed,” according to Blue Origin. Watch it gimbal at full power in these hotfire test views. Credit: Space.co

Satellites zoomed-in on the aftermath of the New Glenn rocket explosion at Blue Origin's LC-36 launchpad, and the extent of the damage is visible from orbit.