Blue Origin’s newest rocket has been grounded after a failed launch of AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite on Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered an investigation into the “mishap” involving the New Glenn rocket, which placed the satellite in a lower-than-planned orbit.
Key Takeaways
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket failed to place AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into the correct orbit during its third launch, leading to the FAA grounding the rocket pending an investigation. According to multiple reports, the satellite was placed too low and will de-orbit due to insufficient thrust from the upper stage engine.
The company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos attempted to place the communications satellite from AST SpaceMobile using its New Glenn rocket but was unable to get it as far into orbit as intended. Blue Origin's chief executive Dave Limp said the failure was caused by a lack of “sufficient thrust” in an engine.
AST SpaceMobile's share price fell sharply on Monday, with CNBC reporting a nearly 12% drop in premarket trading. The satellite would have been the company’s eighth launched into low-earth orbit for its space-based cellular broadband network accessible using normal smartphones. However, due to being placed too low, it will de-orbit and be unusable.
The FAA is overseeing Blue Origin's investigation into the incident, which will determine when New Glenn can be launched again. The company had planned a dozen launches this year but now faces delays as it works to implement improvements based on the investigation findings.
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