Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Places Satellite in Incorrect Orbit
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully launched and recovered its first-stage booster but failed to deliver AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into the correct 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.
