Blue Origin flew a previously used New Glenn rocket for the first time on Sunday, but the launch missed its main goal: the payload, a communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile, was left in the wrong orbit.
AST SpaceMobile said the rocket’s upper stage put its BlueBird 7 satellite into an orbit that was “lower than planned.” The satellite separated from the rocket and powered on, but its altitude was too low to keep operating, so it will now be de-orbited.
Blue Origin’s chief executive, Dave Limp, said on Monday that the company thinks one of the upper stage’s engines “didn’t produce sufficient thrust to reach our target orbit.” “While we are pleased with the nominal booster recovery, we clearly didn’t deliver the mission our customer wanted, and our team expects,” he wrote.
AST SpaceMobile said its insurance covers the loss of the satellite. It plans to launch as many as 45 more satellites by the end of 2026, working with Blue Origin and other launch providers.
It was the New Glenn rocket’s third launch and the first time Blue Origin had tried to re-use a booster. The failure is the first major one for the New Glenn program.
Sources
- Blue Origin New Glenn Misplaces AST Satellite | InsiderFinance
- Oops: Blue Origin's New Glenn Put Customer's Satellite in the Wrong Orbit | Extremetech
