Blue Origin's Rocket Grounded Following Launch Incident

Tue Apr 21 2026 04:07:08 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Blue Origin's latest rocket launch ended in failure, prompting an investigation by the FAA after the satellite was unable to reach its intended orbit.

Blue Origin has grounded its New Glenn rocket following a failed attempt to launch an AST SpaceMobile satellite. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is overseeing an investigation into the mishap, which was attributed to insufficient engine thrust. Despite the setback, Blue Origin aims to learn from the experience to improve future flights.

Blue Origin's newest rocket has been grounded after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered an investigation into a mishap involving the failed launch of a satellite.

The company, founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, attempted to place a satellite from AST SpaceMobile using its New Glenn rocket but was unable to get it into orbit as intended.

Blue Origin's chief executive Dave Limp said the failure was caused by a lack of sufficient thrust in an engine.

AST SpaceMobile's share price fell by more than 6% on Monday. Limp said: We clearly didn't deliver the mission our customer wanted, and our team expects.\

Blue Origin is investigating the incident, which happened on Sunday, with oversight from the FAA.

A spokesperson for the authority said: The FAA is requiring Blue Origin to conduct a mishap investigation. 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.\

Limp expressed that the investigation will allow Blue Origin to learn from the data and implement the improvements needed to quickly return to flight operations.\

The FAA will determine based on the investigation findings when New Glenn can be launched again.

Sunday's operation was only the third flight for the New Glenn rocket. Blue Origin was planning on a dozen launches this year.

The rocket was carrying an AST satellite intended for low earth orbit that would be used for mobile phone connectivity.

Since New Glenn did not drop the satellite as far into orbit as it needed to go, it will be unusable.

AST said Sunday that the loss will be covered by insurance, but did not disclose the cost.

Satellites offering consumers and companies internet access, even in typically hard-to-reach areas, are becoming increasingly popular among tech firms.

Earlier this year, Blue Origin announced plans to launch thousands of such satellites into low-earth orbit as part of a new project called TerraWave.

Amazon is also expanding in this space, having recently acquired a satellite manufacturer and operator for $11 billion to build up its own project, named Leo.

Both projects appear to be playing catch-up to Starlink, the Elon Musk-owned company that already operates thousands of satellites providing connectivity.

Starlink is a significant part of SpaceX, the Musk company that is expected to go public this year in what could be a record stock market listing.