Blue Origin’s New Glenn hits landing mark but loses satellite payload

The first-stage booster completed its second successful flight and recovery, a milestone that positions Jeff Bezos’s firm to finally challenge the dominance of SpaceX’s Falcon 9. However, the mission’s second stage faltered, depositing the BlueBird 7 cell-tower-in-space into an orbit too low to maintain. AST SpaceMobile confirmed the satellite powered on after separation but lacked the on-board thruster capacity to climb to its operational altitude.

Following the anomaly, the FAA grounded the New Glenn vehicle, initiating a mandatory investigation into the upper-stage performance. AST SpaceMobile intends to recoup the satellite’s value through insurance, maintaining that production continues for the next units in its broadband constellation. With BlueBird 8 through 10 slated for delivery within the month, the company aims to move past this setback as it builds out its space-based cellular network.