Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Faces Setback After Launch
This week, Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, made headlines after a launch involving its New Glenn rockets. Bezos shared a photo of this event on X (formerly known as Twitter), which caught the attention of Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, who congratulated the team.
This launch marked a significant milestone for Blue Origin, as it was the first time they reused a New Glenn booster that had flown during a previous mission. Approximately ten minutes post-launch, the booster successfully returned to Earth, landing on a drone ship, similar to its landing last November. Bezos celebrated this achievement by sharing footage of the landing on social media.
However, the mission did not go as planned. Two hours after the launch, Blue Origin announced that the New Glenn upper stage was unable to place its intended payload, a communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile, into the correct orbit. Essentially, while the launch appeared successful initially, the rocket’s upper stage fell short of its mission goals.
AST SpaceMobile confirmed that the New Glenn’s upper stage placed its BlueBird 7 satellite in a lower orbit than expected. Although the satellite did separate and power on, it is now too low to function properly and will need to be de-orbited, ultimately burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Blue Origin CEO Discusses Mission Mishap
Dave Limp, the CEO of Blue Origin, acknowledged in a post that the mission did not meet the company’s or its customer’s expectations. Limp shared that early findings suggest one of the BE-3U engines did not provide enough thrust during a critical burn needed to reach the target orbit. The company is now leading an investigation into the incident, with oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to gather data and make necessary improvements. Limp emphasized the ongoing communication with AST SpaceMobile and expressed optimism for future collaborations.
This incident marks a significant setback for Blue Origin’s New Glenn program, which had only begun its first flights in January 2025. The recent launch was the second time New Glenn carried customer payloads, following a successful mission for NASA last November.
FAA Grounds New Glenn Rocket
In light of the mishap, the FAA has decided to ground Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket after its launch from Cape Canaveral. The FAA acknowledged that the rocket experienced issues during its second-stage flight but noted it was a successful initial launch. The agency has informed NASA, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the U.S. Space Force about the situation.
According to FAA guidelines, Blue Origin must complete a thorough investigation before the rocket can be cleared for another flight. The FAA’s investigation aims to enhance safety, determine the cause of the incident, and implement corrective measures to prevent a recurrence. The agency has grounded other rockets in the past due to similar situations, including SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and its developing Starship. Blue Origin’s smaller New Shepard rocket has also faced grounding issues.
