Brandon Fletcher
Blue Origin has achieved a significant milestone by successfully reusing its first-stage New Glenn booster for the very first time. This remarkable event occurred when the booster landed triumphantly in a dramatic cloud of smoke and fire on a designated recovery ship. This milestone marks the second flight and successful reuse of Never Tell Me The Odds, following its recovery from New Glenn’s previous launch in November of the previous year. However, it is important to note that this rocket company’s inaugural commercial mission faced challenges, specifically a failure to deliver the communications satellite payload into its intended orbit.
The launch initiated without any issues, showcasing a smooth operation where the first-stage GS1 booster separated seamlessly from the New Glenn rocket after three minutes. Following this, the booster executed a controlled landing 10 minutes post-launch, thanks to two precision braking burns. This accomplishment was highlighted in a post on X by Blue Origin’s founder, Jeff Bezos, who celebrated this significant achievement.
However, the excitement was short-lived, as several hours later, the Blue Origin team, alongside satellite manufacturer AST SpaceMobile, disclosed that the payload had not managed to reach its intended orbit. “We have confirmed payload separation,” Blue Origin communicated via X. “AST SpaceMobile has verified that the satellite has powered on. However, the payload was placed into an off-nominal orbit. We are currently assessing the situation and will provide updates as we gather more detailed information.”
In a subsequent press release, AST SpaceMobile elaborated that “the satellite separated successfully from the launch vehicle and powered on, but the altitude was too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology, leading to a planned de-orbit.” They also indicated that the financial implications of the satellite loss are anticipated to be mitigated through the company’s insurance policy.
The upper stage of the rocket was designed to position the satellite into a stable 285-mile orbit after executing two critical burns. Upon achieving this, the satellite would have unfolded a substantial 2,400 square-foot antenna and established connections with six additional satellites as part of a test for AST’s innovative high-speed direct-to-cell network. Unfortunately, preliminary telemetry data indicated that the satellite only attained an altitude of 95 miles, which is significantly below the threshold for a sustainable orbit. The precise cause of this failure remains unclear at this time.
Despite this setback, Blue Origin can take pride in its successful first-stage booster reuse, particularly since this achievement occurred during only the third New Glenn mission (NG-3). In comparison, it took SpaceX 32 flights before it successfully re-flew a previously flown orbital-class booster, highlighting the rapid progress made by Blue Origin in this area.
Blue Origin is undoubtedly motivated to address the upper stage issue promptly. The company’s next mission involves the inaugural New Glenn launch of Amazon’s Leo satellites (previously known as Project Kuiper), during which it plans to deploy 48 of these satellites into orbit. This expansion aims to significantly enhance the constellation of Amazon’s broadband service, which currently consists of 241 satellites, positioning it as a formidable competitor to Starlink.
