By BlueShift | 2026-05-06

Following the mixed performance of the New Glenn rocket's third launch on April 19, Blue Origin is moving forward with next steps as it navigates the rocket's high-stakes transition from developmental project to fully fledged launcher.

Blue Origin's heavy-lift vehicle is designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which has more than a decade of launch experience but just half the payload capacity, and its Starship, another heavy-lift giant also in the testing phase.

The company is under pressure to get New Glenn certified in order to fulfill a multi-billion dollar contract to launch Amazon Leo internet satellites and to compete for launches for NASA projects.

But it still has a way to go.

The US Space Force is overseeing New Glenn's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) certification. This requires the completion of a four-flight certification campaign, of which the April 19 launch was the third.

But the launch did not go entirely as planned: while it successfully reused and recovered a booster, it did not deliver a satellite into the correct orbit.

A fourth launch, originally slated to occur before June 1, is now likely to take place in the latter part of the launch window, and may be pushed back further.

This is because Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines require Blue Origin to complete an investigation before the rocket is allowed to fly again.

Investigation under way

On the morning of April 19, the New Glenn rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral with its reused booster carrying the satellite, AFP reported.

After liftoff, the rocket's two stages separated, with the upper stage continuing its journey carrying the satellite into space.

Its booster successfully landed on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean about nine minutes and 30 seconds after takeoff.

But the communications satellite was placed in a lower orbit than planned.

AST SpaceMobile, which is working to develop a space-based cellular broadband network, said in a statement that "the altitude is too low to sustain operations."

The FAA said it is requiring Blue Origin to conduct a "mishap investigation" into the New Glenn's failure to deliver the satellite into the correct orbit.

"A return to flight of the New Glenn vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," the agency said in a statement to AFP.

Blue Origin is leading the probe, with FAA oversight, it said.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a statement posted to social media that "early data suggest that on our second GS2 burn, one of the BE-3U engines didn't produce sufficient thrust to reach our target orbit."

"While we are pleased with the nominal booster recovery, we clearly didn't deliver the mission our customer wanted, and our team expects," Limp said.

Blue Origin aims to "implement the improvements needed to quickly return to flight operations," he added.

Fierce competition

Blue Origin has launched the towering New Glenn rocket, which stands 98 meters (321 feet) tall, twice before, but only with new rocket boosters.

It has previously launched its smaller New Shepard rocket with reused components in a less technically challenging operation.

The novel recycling approach comes amid fierce competition between Blue Origin and SpaceX, which also has recovered a booster from a launched rocket.

In November, Blue Origin recovered a New Glenn booster for the first time, succeeding in the complex technical challenge that culminated with a controlled vertical landing on a floating platform.

A previous attempt in January 2025 to recover the booster was unsuccessful after its engines failed to reignite during descent.

The booster used in the April 19 launch was refurbished after its previous flight. For this first reuse, the company replaced all of its engines and made several other modifications.