Blue Origin has suffered a catastrophic setback to its rocket programme in the form of an explosion at its only operational launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, which could add further delays to Nasa’s plans to send astronauts to the moon before China. A bright orange fireball, which local residents said looked like a “mini nuke”, completely consumed Launch Complex 36 at around 9pm on Thursday evening during a static fire test of Blue Origin ’s New Glenn rocket. The explosion appears to have completely destroyed the rocket, while the company’s $1bn (£740m) state-of-the-art launch facility will likely require extensive repairs that will ground future launches at the site for a significant period. The 98-metre-tall New Glenn rocket is being developed for Nasa’s Artemis programme, which is aiming to return astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2028.…