Blue Origin Rocket Launches, Then Loses AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Satellite
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launched AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite but placed it in a lower than planned orbit. The satellite is expected to be de-orbited and AST plans to recover its cost under its insurance policy.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launched AST SpaceMobile's seventh full-size mobile-broadband satellite, BlueBird 7, on Sunday morning. The launch initially appeared successful, with the first stage powered by seven BE-4 methane-fueled engines lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:25 a.m. However, the upper stage underperformed, leaving the satellite in an orbit too low to sustain operations. AST SpaceMobile confirmed that the satellite will be de-orbited. The company plans to recover its cost under its insurance policy. The New Glenn rocket's first stage, nicknamed 'Never Tell Me the Odds,' successfully landed on the company's autonomous landing-platform vessel Jacklyn, marking its second successful landing.
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