All articles tagged with #bluebird 7
Blue Origin's third New Glenn flight recovered the first stage, but the second stage placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into a lower-than-planned, unusable orbit, rendering the payload inoperable and likely to deorbit; investigators are assessing what went wrong.
AST SpaceMobile reports BlueBird 7 launched on the New Glenn but was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit, rendering its on-board thrusters unusable and requiring de-orbit. The company says the satellite’s cost will be recovered under its insurance. BlueBird 7 would have been its eighth LEO satellite; production continues with BlueBird 32 and BlueBird 8–10 expected to ship in about 30 days. AST SpaceMobile maintains plans for roughly monthly orbital launches in 2026 aiming for about 45 satellites by year-end as it builds a space-based cellular broadband network accessible by standard smartphones.
Blue Origin successfully reused the first stage of its New Glenn rocket for the NG-3 mission, lofting AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite to low Earth orbit and then landing the reused booster on the Atlantic droneship Jacklyn — the first time a New Glenn first stage has flown again, aided by refurbished thermal protection and other reentry upgrades, signaling progress toward full orbital reusability as the company pursues multiple flights per booster.
Blue Origin will reuse the New Glenn’s first-stage booster for the NG-3 mission, launching from Cape Canaveral’s LC-36 on Sunday, April 19 to place the BlueBird 7 internet satellite into low Earth orbit within a 6:45 a.m. EDT launch window; viewers can watch via Blue Origin’s stream or Space.com’s coverage.