Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Places Satellite in Incorrect Orbit

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 19, 2026, marking its third flight and the first reuse of a first-stage booster. The booster, named "Never Tell Me The Odds," successfully landed on the droneship "Jacklyn" in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 10 minutes after liftoff. However, the mission encountered a setback when the rocket's upper stage placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into an off-nominal orbit. AST SpaceMobile stated that the satellite was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit, which is too low to sustain operations. As a result, the satellite will be de-orbited. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aware of the mishap and is assessing the situation. This incident follows a previous grounding of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket by the FAA in 2022 after a booster failure.