Blue Origin Explosion: Viral Video Claims New Shepard Rocket Burst Into Flames Mid-Flight – Here’s the Truth Behind the Clip
A dramatic video is circulating widely on social media, showing what appears to be a Blue Origin rocket erupting in a massive fireball mid-air, with captions claiming the company suffered a "Blue Origin explosion" during a recent test flight. The clip has racked up millions of views in hours, sparking panic and debate about the safety of commercial space travel. However, fact-checkers have determined this is **fake**. The footage is actually a one-year-old clip from a 2023 booster test failure that did not occur during a crewed launch, and no Blue Origin explosion happened recently. The New Shepard rocket experienced a brief anomaly on an unmanned test flight last year—no injuries or payload loss resulted—and all current launches are proceeding normally. The viral clip has been sped up and edited with added fire effects to mislead viewers. Shares with alarming captions are flagged as misinformation.