Blue Origin’s Modern Glenn rocket lifted off at 7:25 a.m. EDT on April 19 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite and marking the first reuse of an orbital-class booster by a company other than SpaceX.
The mission, designated NG-3, flew the same first-stage core that launched NG-2 in November 2025, which had previously landed on the droneship Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. For this flight, Blue Origin replaced all seven BE-4 engines and added a thermal protection upgrade to one engine nozzle, while retaining the refurbished booster structure.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp confirmed the engine swap in an April 13 social media post, stating the flown engines would be reserved for future flights. The company aims to qualify each booster for up to 25 missions, though it remains unclear whether engine reuse will be part of that cycle.
Standing 322 feet tall, New Glenn is nearly 100 feet taller than SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and comparable in height to NASA’s SLS rocket. Its methalox-fueled BE-4 engines mirror the propulsion choice of SpaceX’s Raptor engines, placing Blue Origin in direct technical competition with SpaceX’s reusable fleet.
The payload, BlueBird 7, is the second Block 2 satellite in AST SpaceMobile’s constellation designed to deliver direct-to-cellphone broadband. Its 2,400-square-foot antenna matches that of BlueBird 6, which launched on an Indian LVM3 rocket in December 2025. Block 1 satellites in the constellation feature antennas under 700 square feet.
AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan said in a March earnings call the company remains on track to deploy 45 to 60 satellites by year’s end, expecting a New Glenn launch every 30 days to support that cadence. Future missions could carry up to eight Block 2 satellites per flight.
U.S. Space Force forecasters predicted a 90 percent chance of acceptable weather for the launch window opening at 6:45 a.m. EDT. The countdown encountered a hold at T-3 minutes, 57 seconds before resuming for the 7:25 a.m. Liftoff.
Brevard County Emergency Management activated its launch operations support team ahead of the flight, which became the 28th orbital launch from Florida’s Space Coast in 2026. SpaceX is scheduled to launch a national security GPS III-8 mission from the Eastern Range early Monday morning.
The first stage separated approximately 3.5 minutes after liftoff, with a landing attempt on Jacklyn planned for around six minutes into flight. Upper stage separation and satellite deployment were expected one hour, 15 minutes, and 44 seconds after liftoff.
How the booster reuse compares to SpaceX’s approach
Blue Origin’s reuse strategy differs from SpaceX’s in that it replaced all engines on the flown booster, while SpaceX typically reflies Falcon 9 boosters with their original engines after inspection and refurbishment. Both companies employ autonomous spaceport droneships for Atlantic recoveries, though SpaceX similarly operates landing pads at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg.
What the mission means for low Earth orbit satellite broadband
AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 satellites, like BlueBird 7, are engineered to provide 5G-speed connectivity directly to unmodified smartphones, a capability that could extend cellular coverage to remote and underserved regions without ground infrastructure. The company views reusable boosters like New Glenn as essential to achieving its launch cadence and constellation deployment goals.
Why did Blue Origin replace the engines on the reused booster?
Blue Origin elected to install new engines and test upgrades on the refurbished booster to validate improvements and preserve the flown engines for future use, according to CEO Dave Limp’s April 13 statement.
How many times does Blue Origin plan to reuse each New Glenn booster?
The company states each booster is designed to support up to 25 flights, though it has not confirmed whether engine reuse will be part of that cycle.
What makes BlueBird 7 different from earlier satellites in the constellation?
BlueBird 7 is a Block 2 satellite with a 2,400-square-foot antenna, significantly larger than the Block 1 satellites’ 693-square-foot antennas, enabling stronger and more reliable space-based cellular broadband connections.
