The FAA grounded Blue Origin’s New Glenn after a thrust shortfall left an AST SpaceMobile satellite unusable; a probe will determine when flights can restart.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has been grounded after a launch mishap left a customer satellite in the wrong orbit, prompting a Federal Aviation Administration investigation and halting further flights until regulators sign off on corrective actions.
The company, founded by Jeff Bezos, attempted on Sunday to deliver an AST SpaceMobile payload to low Earth orbit but failed to reach the intended altitude. Blue Origin chief executive Dave Limp said the outcome stemmed from an engine that did not produce “sufficient thrust.”
The FAA said it has required Blue Origin to conduct a mishap investigation that the agency will supervise. “The FAA will oversee the Blue Origin-led investigation, be involved in every step of the process and approve Blue Origin’s final report, including any corrective actions,” a spokesperson said. The agency will decide, based on the findings, when New Glenn can fly again.
Limp acknowledged the setback, saying, “We clearly didn’t deliver the mission our customer wanted, and our team expects,” and added that Blue Origin will learn from the data and implement improvements to return to flight operations as quickly as possible.
The mission’s payload—a satellite designed to support mobile phone connectivity for AST SpaceMobile—was released short of its required orbit and will be unusable. AST said the loss is covered by insurance, without disclosing the amount.
AST SpaceMobile shares fell more than 6% on Monday following the failed deployment.
Sunday’s attempt marked only the third flight for New Glenn. Blue Origin had planned about a dozen launches this year, a cadence now in doubt pending the FAA’s review and any required fixes.
The setback comes as competition intensifies in space-based connectivity. Blue Origin has outlined plans to deploy thousands of satellites for a new TerraWave network, while Amazon has moved deeper into the sector with an $11 billion acquisition of a satellite manufacturer and operator to support its Leo project. Both efforts trail Starlink, SpaceX’s broadband constellation that already has several thousand satellites in orbit.
Blue Origin is leading the investigation under FAA oversight. A timeline for New Glenn’s return to service will hinge on the probe’s conclusions and regulatory approval.
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