Blue Origin's reusable New Glenn rocket booster touched down successfully after launch on Sunday, but the mission failed to deploy an AST SpaceMobile communications satellite into the correct orbit, Reuters reported.
The New Glenn rocket lifted off at about 7:25 a.m. ET (1125 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the third mission of the heavy-lift vehicle developed by Jeff Bezos' space company. The booster returned to Earth roughly 10 minutes later, achieving a key objective for Blue Origin as it seeks to demonstrate reliable booster reuse.
However, AST SpaceMobile said the rocket's upper stage placed its BlueBird 7 satellite into a lower-than-planned orbit. While the satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, AST said the altitude was too low to sustain operations using its onboard thruster technology and the satellite will be de-orbited.
BlueBird 7 was intended to support AST's plans to build a space-based cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with smartphones, similar to SpaceX's Starlink or Amazon's Project Kuiper.
Sunday's launch underscored the intensifying rivalry between Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX. The New Glenn mission was seen as critical to showing that the 29-story rocket can compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9, particularly on booster reuse. The booster, named “Never Tell Me the Odds,” previously flew and was recovered during New Glenn's second mission in November.
New Glenn is designed for the higher end of the commercial launch market, featuring a seven-meter-wide nose cone that allows it to carry larger and bulkier payloads. AST said BlueBird 7 is the second satellite in its next-generation Block 2 constellation and described it as featuring the largest commercial communications array deployed in low-Earth orbit.
Reuters reported that the launch came amid heightened activity in the global space sector and ongoing competition between billionaire-led companies racing to support NASA's Artemis program and future lunar missions.
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