The first time Blue Origin reused a booster on its Latest Glenn rocket, the upper stage failed to deliver its payload to the intended orbit, triggering an immediate grounding by federal aviation authorities.
On Sunday, April 19, 2026, the third flight of the New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36, carrying AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite. The booster, named “Never Tell Me the Odds,” had previously flown in November 2025 and landed successfully on the company’s ocean-going platform, Jacklyn. This marked the first reuse of a New Glenn booster — a milestone Blue Origin had long pursued to match SpaceX’s reusability cadence. But while the booster performed as expected, the upper stage’s second burn fell short of the required thrust, placing the satellite in an off-nominal, lower-than-planned orbit.
The Federal Aviation Administration responded swiftly, classifying the event as a mishap and grounding the New Glenn vehicle pending a full investigation. In a statement released Sunday evening, the FAA confirmed it had notified NASA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the U.S. Space Force. According to FAA protocol, a return to flight will only be permitted once the agency determines that no system, process, or procedure related to the mishap poses a risk to public safety. The investigation will focus on identifying the root cause and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp acknowledged the shortfall in a post on X, noting that while the booster recovery was a success, the mission failed to meet customer expectations. “We are pleased with the nominal booster recovery, but we clearly didn’t deliver the mission our customer wanted, and our team expects,” he wrote. He added that the company remained in close contact with AST SpaceMobile and looked forward to future flights together.
The mishap had immediate financial repercussions. AST SpaceMobile’s stock fell more than 7% on Monday after the company confirmed the satellite was lost. The BlueBird 7 was intended to be the eighth satellite in the company’s low-Earth orbit constellation, designed to provide space-based cellular broadband. While AST said the loss would be covered by insurance, analysts warned the setback could delay its goal of deploying 45 to 60 satellites by year-end. William Blair’s Louie DiPalma noted that although the mission failed, AST gained valuable integration experience with the New Glenn vehicle — an asset for future flights that could carry up to eight satellites per launch.
Other analysts offered a more tempered view. Clear Street’s Greg Pendy maintained a buy rating on AST but cut his price target from $137 to $115, citing reduced near-term upside. UBS’s Christopher Schoell emphasized that AST’s prospects are now tightly linked to the success of Blue Origin’s New Glenn program, warning that uncertainty around the rocket’s reliability could weigh on investor sentiment until the investigation yields clarity.
The incident echoes a familiar pattern in the aerospace industry: early reusability milestones often come with costly setbacks. When SpaceX first attempted to reuse a Falcon 9 booster in 2017, the effort ended in a landing failure — a reminder that mastering re-entry and refurbishment is as much about iteration as innovation. For Blue Origin, the successful booster recovery on this flight proves progress, but the upper stage shortfall reveals that reusability introduces new layers of complexity, particularly when integrating legacy hardware with upgraded components.
As noted in pre-launch reporting, Blue Origin replaced all seven engines on the refurbished booster and tested a thermal protection upgrade on one nozzle — a decision aimed at improving durability but potentially introducing variables in performance. The company plans to reuse the engines from the second flight on future missions, suggesting a cautious, data-driven approach to iteration.
For now, the New Glenn remains grounded. The FAA’s involvement underscores that even as private companies push the boundaries of reusable launch systems, regulatory oversight remains a critical gatekeeper — not to stall progress, but to ensure that each step forward is built on verified safety and reliability.
Why did the FAA ground the New Glenn rocket?
The FAA grounded the vehicle after classifying the mission as a mishap due to the upper stage’s failure to place the satellite in the correct orbit, requiring a safety-focused investigation before any future flights can occur.
Was the booster reuse successful?
Yes, the booster launched, flew, and landed successfully on the ocean-going platform Jacklyn, marking the first reuse of a New Glenn booster and a key milestone for the program.
What happens to AST SpaceMobile after losing its satellite?
AST expects the loss to be covered by insurance and plans to continue launching satellites every one to two months, with the next three satellites ready to ship within 30 days, though analysts warn the setback may delay its year-end deployment goals.
