Today’s launch of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite aboard Blue Origin’s reusable New Glenn rocket was a partial success. The New Glenn touched down on its landing pad without incident, making it the second launch and landing for the first stage booster, and officially giving Jeff Bezos a reusable launch vehicle. Unfortunately for AST SpaceMobile, the mission was less successful. Its cell-tower-in-space was delivered to a lower orbit than expected by the second stage of the launch vehicle, rendering it functionally useless.
While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited.
Bezos, for his part, posted a video of the landing on X without comment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, partially. The New Glenn touched down on its landing pad without incident, officially giving Jeff Bezos a reusable launch vehicle.
The second stage delivered AST SpaceMobile's cell-tower-in-space to a lower orbit than expected, rendering it functionally useless; it will be de-orbited.
Yes. The satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, but its on-board thruster technology can't sustain operations at that altitude.
Bezos posted a video of the landing on X without comment.
