Rocket Test Explosion Detected by Infrasound Stations 1,700 Kilometers Away

When Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire test in May 2026, the accident produced more than a visible fireball. It also sent low-frequency pressure waves through the atmosphere—signals too deep for human hearing but detectable by specialized instruments hundreds of kilometers away. Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories analyzed those infrasound signals to independently establish the explosion’s timing and location. Their findings, published in The Seismic Record and reported by Phys.org, show that regional monitoring stations detected the event from distances of up to 1,700 kilometers. The team examined time-stamped video of the explosion alongside data from a network of broadband microbarometers. Researchers back-projected signals from 36 regional stations, using the arrival patterns to identify the source as Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. They also estimated the blast’s yield at 0.131 kilotons of TNT equivalent. The quantity of fuel aboard New Glenn at the time was not publicly known, so the researchers compared the estimate with a plausible amount of chemical energy available from the rocket’s liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants. Under a scenario in which the tanks were full, the initial pressure-producing blast represented roughly 3% to 4% of the available chemical energy, according to the study. If the tanks were half full, the proportion would be about 6%. Researcher Elizabeth Silber noted that rocket fuel and oxidizer may not mix and react simultaneously during a major accident; some material may contribute to the initial blast while the remainder burns more gradually. The event offered an unusually large real-world opportunity to study infrasound from a rocket using cryogenic propellants. Existing data on liquid oxygen and liquid methane largely comes from smaller experiments or tests involving different fuel systems. Infrasound is already used to monitor large explosions and other energetic events, including volcanic eruptions, mining blasts, industrial accidents, meteoroids and ocean waves. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization also uses the technique to help detect nuclear explosions. The researchers said the New Glenn findings indicate that the method could assist in monitoring future rocket launch anomalies.