AST SpaceMobile Loses BlueBird 7 Satellite After Launch Malfunction

AST SpaceMobile loses BlueBird 7 satellite after launch malfunction

AST SpaceMobile says its Midland TX-built satellite will be deorbited after a launch problem, as FAA investigates Blue Origin rocket and engine failure

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Grounds Itself: Engine Thrust Shortfall Dooms Satellite and Delays Bezos’ Space Ambitions

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roared off the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 19, 2026, marking its third flight and the first reuse of a booster. The first stage, dubbed ‘Never Tell Me The Odds,’ separated cleanly and touched down on the barge Jacklyn in the Atlantic. Spectators cheered. But victory soured hours later. The upper stage faltered. AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite, meant for a 285-mile low Earth orbit to be…

FAA grounds Blue Origin New Glenn rocket

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket after an upper-stage problem placed an AST SpaceMobile satellite into the wrong orbit, turning a major booster-reuse milestone into a failed customer mission. New Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 19, 2026, carrying AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite. The flight marked New Glenn’s third mission and Blue Origin’s firs…