Blue Origin's New Glenn: booster lands, payload misorbit prompts investigation

Blue Origin's NG-3 mission achieved a successful booster landing, but an upper-stage thrust anomaly prevented the second burn from placing AST SpaceMobile's Bluebird 7 satellite into the planned orbit, leaving the satellite in an off-nominal orbit and ultimately deemed lost. The FAA has grounded New Glenn while Blue Origin investigates the issue, and the incident casts uncertainty over the rocket's 2026 launch cadence. Despite the mishap, the company aims to continue flights and pursue milestones like the Blue Moon lunar landers, with NASA and industry partners expressing cautious optimism about ongoing programs.