Blue Origin New Glenn Fails Target Orbit on Third Launch

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket completed a partial success but ultimately failed its primary objective during its third launch on Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The reusable first-stage booster, flown for the first time, separated as planned about three minutes after liftoff and landed successfully on the Jacklyn droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the upper stage placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 communications satellite into a lower-than-planned orbit, rendering it inoperable.

The satellite, equipped with a 2,400-square-foot phased-array antenna designed for direct-to-cellphone service, separated from the rocket and powered on, according to Blue Origin's post-launch update on X. AST SpaceMobile, based in Midland, Texas, confirmed the orbit was too low at around 154 kilometers, compared to the targeted 460 kilometers. "The altitude is too low to sustain operations with its onboard thruster technology and will be deorbited," the company stated. The satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere and burned up harmlessly over the ocean on Monday, as tracked by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.

Blue Origin Chief Executive Dave Limp attributed the issue...