In its third flight, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket puts satellite payload into wrong orbit

Key Points:

• Blue Origin's third New Glenn rocket launch successfully reused and recovered a previously flown first stage, but its second stage placed the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 satellite into a lower-than-planned, unusable orbit.
• AST SpaceMobile reported that the satellite's onboard propulsion could not correct the orbit, leading to the satellite's deorbiting despite it powering on after separation; the satellite was fully insured.
• The launch experienced a 40-minute hold before liftoff from Cape Canaveral, with the first stage performing flawlessly and landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, while the second stage failed to deliver the payload to the intended orbit.
• Blue Origin and AST SpaceMobile are investigating the cause of the off-nominal orbit, with the company continuing plans for multiple satellite launches in 2026 despite the setback.
• The New Glenn rocket is central to Blue Origin's ambitions for commercial and military satellite deployment, Amazon's LEO internet constellation, and NASA lunar missions, with upcoming launches and test flights dependent on the investigation's outcomes.