Infrasound Detection, Geolocation, and Yield Estimate of the May 2026 Blue Origin New Glenn Static-Fire Explosion

Abstract

The 2026 Blue Origin New Glenn static-fire explosion offered a rare opportunity to evaluate vehicle-scale blast coupling for liquid oxygen/liquid methane (LOX/LCH4) propulsion. We analyze regional infrasound from 36 broadband microbarometers around Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States, to associate arrivals, locate the acoustic source, and estimate effective yield. Reverse-time migration localizes the source to within 15 km of the launch complex, demonstrating that regional infrasound (<1700 km) can be leveraged to constrain the source region of energetic events. The dominant signal period of 2.62 ± 0.55 s, measured from primary tropospheric and stratospheric arrivals, gives an effective yield of 0.131 kt trinitrotoluene equivalent (5.5×10J). Comparing this yield with plausible onboard chemical-energy reservoirs gives an event-scale blast-coupling ratio of ∼3% to 4% for full-fill assumptions and ∼6% for a half-fill sensitivity case. These results provide an infrasound-based observational constraint for LOX/LCH4 blast models and launch-anomaly monitoring.