Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully reused one of its boosters for the first time Sunday, but failed to deliver a communications satellite to orbit as planned. The upper stage of the rocket placed the BlueBird 7 satellite into an orbit that was "lower than planned," according to AST SpaceMobile, which contracted with Blue Origin to launch the satellite. The cost of the loss is covered by insurance, and AST SpaceMobile has contracts for over 45 more launches by the end of 2026.
This represents the first major failure for New Glenn's program, which only made its first flight in January 2025 after more than a decade in development. Blue Origin was hoping to establish itself as a reliable launch provider for NASA's Artemis missions to the moon and beyond. The company is competing with SpaceX to meet NASA's deadline to put landers on the moon by the end of President Donald Trump's second term.
The failure could have implications for Blue Origin's commercial ambitions, but AST SpaceMobile says it will be able to continue its plans to launch satellites into space despite the setback. The company has a pipeline of 45 more launches planned for this year and next, with the first one set to launch in about a month.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company "will move heaven and earth" to help NASA get back to the moon faster, but Sunday's mission was not one of those efforts.
