Blue Origin nails booster reuse, but upper stage derails AST satellite deployment
Blue Origin’s New Glenn achieved a successful reuse of its first-stage booster with a precise landing, but the mission’s upper stage did not place AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 into the planned orbit, delivering the satellite to an off-nominal, too-low orbit that will require de-orbiting, despite payload separation and the satellite powering on. The mishap tempers the milestone of reusability with a reminder that upper-stage performance remains a critical challenge for New Glenn and Artemis-era ambitions.