What was supposed to be a routine test for Blue Origin literally went up in flames when one of its New Glenn rockets exploded on the launch pad.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket has dramatically exploded on the launchpad during a test, in a setback for Jeff Bezos’ space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The 320-foot vessel was undergoing a hot fire test—in which the rocket's engine is ignited and fired at full thrust to test its performance ahead of launch day—at 9 p.m. local time in Cape Canaveral, ...