This was reported by Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

The unmanned New Shepard rocket took off from a launch site in West Texas as part of Blue Origin’s 23rd mission to conduct NASA-funded microgravity space experiments.

However, just over a minute after launching at just over 8km from Earth, the engines of the New Shepard launch vehicle suddenly burst into flames. The capsule’s engine disconnect system was activated almost instantly, pushing the vehicle away from the malfunctioning rocket before landing without parachute damage.

The launch vehicle crashed in a designated danger zone, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees and regulates launch pad safety. The agency added that flights of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rockets will be suspended until the FAA signs the results of the company’s investigation into the accident.

The New Shepard rocket capsule system carried a total of 31 people as part of Blue Origin’s suborbital space tourism business, where customers were previously launched for a fee of about 100km altitude for a few minutes of microgravity at the edge of space. capsules return to Earth under parachutes.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos, who founded Blue Origin in 2000, was one of the first passengers to fly in New Shepard during his first crewed mission in 2021.

The rocket that crashed on Monday was the ninth flight into space.