CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An explosion lit up the sky over Cape Canaveral, sending a fireball into the night and shaking residents as far as 10 miles from the launch pads. Dozens of people who live near the site say they didn’t just hear the blast but felt it.
“We came out on the balcony and saw the flames,” one resident said.
[RELATED: Watch Spaceflight Now’s footage of the Blue Origin rocket explosion]
The sky filled with smoke in the moments after the explosion, though some residents said the plumes looked more like clouds from a distance. Despite the dramatic scene, most people in the area say they are not worried about air quality or debris reaching local beaches.
“I think everything’s fine. We didn’t smell anything or I haven’t really seen anything, so I think everybody is OK,” one resident said.
What was in that smoke?
Greg Autry, associate provost for Space Commercialization and Strategy at the University of Central Florida, says residents have little reason to worry about what they breathed in.
“This is methane and liquid oxygen. And what you get out of that is CO2 and water. So that’s not a dangerous mix of chemicals,” Autry said.
Debris is the bigger concern
While the air appears safe, Autry says the real environmental worry is what ends up in the water.
“There’s going to be a mess to clean up, and that’s an environmental concern. You don’t want any of that washing into the lagoon,” he said.
Blue Origin posted on X that debris from the explosion could wash ashore within the next few days and weeks. The company is asking anyone who spots debris not to touch it — but to report it immediately.
To report debris:
- Call: 321-222-4355