AST SpaceMobile satellite BlueBird 7 to be deorbited after New Glenn places it in too-low orbit
AST SpaceMobile satellite BlueBird 7 will be intentionally deorbited after Blue Origin’s New Glenn upper stage placed the spacecraft into a lower-than-planned orbit, the company said Sunday. (finance.yahoo.com)
Mission outcome confirmed
During the New Glenn 3 mission, AST SpaceMobile confirmed that BlueBird 7 separated from the launch vehicle and powered up, but the spacecraft’s achieved altitude was insufficient for it to operate or to climb to its intended orbit using onboard propulsion. (finance.yahoo.com)
The company said the satellite’s orbital parameters leave it unable to sustain its mission, and it will be deorbited in a controlled manner to prevent an uncontrolled reentry or long-term debris hazard. (aviationweek.com)
Launch timeline and insertion anomaly
The New Glenn rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36 on April 19, 2026, during a dawn window that saw the vehicle’s first-stage return and recovery succeed. (nss.org)
Flight telemetry later showed the mission’s upper stage did not achieve the planned burn profile for the BlueBird 7 deployment, leaving the satellite in an off-nominal low-Earth orbit well below the roughly 460 km circular orbit it was intended to reach. (nss.org)
Blue Origin’s vehicle performance and recovery
Blue Origin hailed the mission as a milestone for booster reuse after the New Glenn first stage completed a precision landing, but acknowledged an anomaly in the second-stage sequence that affected payload insertion. (webpronews.com)
Company officials said the cause of the upper-stage discrepancy is under assessment and that mission data will be reviewed in coordination with regulators and independent investigators. (webpronews.com)
Regulatory response and investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has classified the event as a mishap and has initiated a review of the New Glenn flight data, temporarily grounding further New Glenn launches pending the outcome of the probe. (newspaceeconomy.ca)
The FAA’s precautionary actions are consistent with standard practice when an off-nominal insertion affects a commercial payload, and the agency has indicated it will seek a full accounting of the technical sequence that led to the misinsertion. (newspaceeconomy.ca)
Commercial and financial implications for AST SpaceMobile
AST SpaceMobile said the cost of BlueBird 7 will be recovered under its insurance policy and that production of subsequent BlueBird satellites remains on schedule, with additional units expected to ship for upcoming launches. (finance.yahoo.com)
Markets reacted to the news with a decline in AST SpaceMobile’s share price, reflecting investor concern about near-term deployment pacing even as analysts noted insurance coverage and the company’s broader roll‑out plan mitigate the immediate financial hit. (finance.yahoo.com)
Next steps for the constellation and New Glenn program
AST SpaceMobile reiterated plans to continue launching satellites at a cadence it described as roughly one to two months on average through 2026, relying on multiple launch providers to meet its target constellation build-out. (finance.yahoo.com)
Blue Origin has committed to cooperating with regulators and customers to determine root causes, and any corrective actions for the New Glenn upper stage will be critical to restoring confidence among payload customers and insurers. (webpronews.com)
The deliberate deorbit of BlueBird 7 closes the chapter on the spacecraft from this mission, but both AST SpaceMobile and Blue Origin now face a period of technical review and customer outreach to mitigate operational and reputational fallout.
