{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/tech/new-glenn-rocket-exploded-during-static-fire-test","slug":"new-glenn-rocket-exploded-during-static-fire-test","url":"https://mediabias.news/tech/new-glenn-rocket-exploded-during-static-fire-test","title":"New Glenn rocket exploded during static-fire test","subtitle":"Infrasonic waves from the blast travelled 1,684 km across the US, study finds","excerpt":"The New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire test on 29 May 2026 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Infrasonic waves from the blast travelled up to 1,684 km across the US, according to a study in The Seismic Record.","category":"Science & Tech","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T15:25:28.201Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-09-05T07:18:37.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-05T15:45:09.149Z","readTime":"2 min read","scores":{"trust":62,"critic":85,"hype":30,"notes":{"trust":"Trust 62: study cited and specific figures with sources, but no named individuals and only one outlet.","critic":"Critic 85: explains relevance, gives precise data, outlines future use, but lacks direct quotes.","hype":"Hype 30: headline is dramatic but article remains measured without exaggerated claims."}},"tags":["#NewGlenn","#RocketExplosion","#SpaceX","#Chernobyl","#Infrasound","#Science"],"entities":["New Glenn","Blue Origin","Cape Canaveral","The Seismic Record","Chernobyl"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["The New Glenn rocket exploded on 29 May 2026 during a static-fire test at Cape Canaveral, Florida.","Infrasonic waves from the explosion were detected by stations across the US, travelling up to 1,684 km.","The explosion's energy was estimated at 0.131 kilotons, comparable to the Chernobyl reactor blast, a study in The Seismic Record reported."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire test on 29 May 2026 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The blast sent debris and a mushroom cloud into the air. No one was injured in the incident, though thousands of local residents reported hearing a loud sound up to 217 km away."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Infrasonic waves, sounds below the range of human hearing, were detected by stations across the United States following the explosion. These waves travelled up to approximately 1,684 km from the launch site. A study published in The Seismic Record used these infrasonic wave data to estimate the explosion's energy."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The study estimated the explosion's energy at roughly 0.131 kilotons. This energy output is comparable to the initial blast that destroyed the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in 1986. Researchers believe infrasound can be a valuable tool for tracking space vehicle accidents or other large explosions globally."},{"type":"heading","text":"Coverage comparison"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Science.focus.ua reported that the New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire test on 29 May 2026 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The outlet stated that infrasonic waves from the explosion spread across the US, travelling over 1,600 km. According to the study in The Seismic Record, the explosion's energy was estimated at approximately 0.131 kilotons, comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant reactor blast. The report also noted that the likely cause of the explosion was a faulty oxygen valve in the propulsion system, as reported by Blue Origin in early August. It mentioned that the New Glenn rocket is 98 metres tall and has flown into space three times previously, in January and November 2025, and April 2026."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The science.focus.ua report did not mention the specific distance the infrasonic waves travelled, only stating it was over 1,600 km. It also did not specify the exact energy output in kilotons, referring to it as 'approximately 0.131 kilotons'."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"geoscienceworld.org","url":"https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/tsr/article/6/3/348/734849/Infrasound-Detection-Geolocation-and-Yield","headline":"Infrasound Detection, Geolocation, and Yield Estimate of the May 2026 Blue Origin New Glenn Static‐Fire Explosion","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T14:03:27.038Z"},{"sourceName":"دیجیاتو","url":"https://digiato.com/astronomy/blue-origin-new-glenn-explosion-infrasound-waves","headline":"As Terrifying as Chernobyl; Blue Origin Rocket Blast Wave Traveled 1,000 Miles Away","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T12:59:16.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Unknown","url":"https://science.focus.ua/uk/nauka/766799-u-ssha-vibuhnula-raketa-blue-origin-ce-nagaduvalo-vibuh-chornobilskoji-aes-video","headline":"Blue Origin Rocket Exploded in the United States: It Resembled the Explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T07:18:37.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Live Science","url":"https://livescience.com/space/space-exploration/blue-origin-rocket-explosion-sent-sound-waves-1-000-miles-across-the-us-report-finds","headline":"Blue Origin rocket explosion sent sound waves 1,000 miles across the US, report finds","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-04T19:27:13.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Phys.org","url":"https://phys.org/news/2026-09-blue-explosion-infrasound.html","headline":"Blue Origin's New Glenn explosion shows infrasound can detect rocket accidents from up to 1,700 kilometers away","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-02T11:40:03.000Z"},{"sourceName":"seismosoc.org","url":"https://seismosoc.org/news/blue-origin-explosion-detected-and-measured-with-infrasound-data","headline":"Blue Origin Explosion Detected and Measured with Infrasound Data | Seismological Society of America","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T21:54:54.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":0,"centre":100,"right":0},"count":{"left":0,"centre":2,"right":0},"totalSources":6,"untracked":4,"rated":2,"observedAt":"2026-09-05T17:30:12.236233+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-09-05T18:00:08.088Z","closedAt":null,"checks":11,"changes":1,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":[],"centre":["Both centre outlets led on the detection of low‑frequency sound waves traveling long distances from the New Glenn static‑fire explosion. Phys.org reported that researchers used infrasound signals to confirm time and location; Live Science’s digest noted that the waves reached as far as Texas.","Phys.org’s report quoted Sandia researchers Elizabeth Silber and Logan Scamfer, describing the yield as about 0.131 kilotons TNT‑equivalent and noting that only a few percent of the fuel’s chemical energy contributed to the blast. The article also referenced the use of infrasound for monitoring other energetic events.","Live Science’s digest highlighted a comparison between the New Glenn blast and the 1986 Chernobyl reactor explosion, without providing a specific yield figure or quoting any scientist. It did not mention the Sandia researchers, the infrasound network, or the detailed yield calculation found in Phys.org."],"right":[],"comparison":""},"blindspot":null,"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"unknown":4,"veryHigh":2},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"seismosoc.org","url":"https://seismosoc.org/news/blue-origin-explosion-detected-and-measured-with-infrasound-data","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T21:54:54.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom","count":1},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"seismosoc.org","url":"https://seismosoc.org/news/blue-origin-explosion-detected-and-measured-with-infrasound-data","headline":"Blue Origin Explosion Detected and Measured with Infrasound Data | Seismological Society of America","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T21:54:54.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Phys.org","url":"https://phys.org/news/2026-09-blue-explosion-infrasound.html","headline":"Blue Origin's New Glenn explosion shows infrasound can detect rocket accidents from up to 1,700 kilometers away","publishedAt":"2026-09-02T11:40:03.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Live Science","url":"https://livescience.com/space/space-exploration/blue-origin-rocket-explosion-sent-sound-waves-1-000-miles-across-the-us-report-finds","headline":"Blue Origin rocket explosion sent sound waves 1,000 miles across the US, report finds","publishedAt":"2026-09-04T19:27:13.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Unknown","url":"https://science.focus.ua/uk/nauka/766799-u-ssha-vibuhnula-raketa-blue-origin-ce-nagaduvalo-vibuh-chornobilskoji-aes-video","headline":"Blue Origin Rocket Exploded in the United States: It Resembled the Explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T07:18:37.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"دیجیاتو","url":"https://digiato.com/astronomy/blue-origin-new-glenn-explosion-infrasound-waves","headline":"As Terrifying as Chernobyl; Blue Origin Rocket Blast Wave Traveled 1,000 Miles Away","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T12:59:16.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":true,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"geoscienceworld.org","url":"https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/tsr/article/6/3/348/734849/Infrasound-Detection-Geolocation-and-Yield","headline":"Infrasound Detection, Geolocation, and Yield Estimate of the May 2026 Blue Origin New Glenn Static‐Fire Explosion","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T14:03:27.038Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. 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