The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket following a partial failure during its third mission, NG-3, launched Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. An upper-stage engine issue prevented the BlueBird 7 satellite from reaching its target 285-mile orbit, achieving only about 95 miles. This incident, the second grounding for the rocket, will halt flights pending investigation.
Blue Origin's NG-3 mission, previously detailed in ongoing coverage, successfully reused its first-stage booster but encountered an upper-stage anomaly during the second burn. CEO Dave Limp attributed the problem to one of the BE-3U engines failing to produce sufficient thrust to raise and circularize the orbit for customer AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 communications satellite. The payload separated but entered an unsustainable low orbit and will be deorbited for destruction during reentry. The FAA classified the event as a 'mishap,' mandating a grounding until Blue Origin's investigation—under FAA oversight—confirms no public safety risks and identifies corrective actions. This follows a nearly three-month grounding after the rocket's debut mission landing failure in late 2025. The pause could delay key plans, including launches for Amazon's satellite broadband network later in 2026 and the Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander mission. AST SpaceMobile confirmed insurance coverage for the satellite loss and plans frequent orbital launches in 2026 using various providers.
