The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a grounding order for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket following an incident during its launch on Sunday, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. The launch itself was initially successful, but a mishap occurred during the second-stage flight sequence, leading to the payload being delivered to an incorrect orbit. The FAA acknowledged this event in a statement shared with the Orlando Sentinel, highlighting the deviation from the mission’s planned trajectory.
Blue Origin, the aerospace venture owned by Jeff Bezos, launched the New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Although the rocket’s reusable booster executed a flawless return to its designated landing pad, the upper stage encountered problems. It failed to place the AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite in the desired orbit. AST SpaceMobile has expressed that the satellite ended up in a “lower-than-planned orbit,” which is deemed unsustainable for its operational purposes. Consequently, the satellite will have to be de-orbited.
Blue Origin has confirmed that an engine shutdown occurred during the rocket’s second stage, resulting in an unintended “coast phase” and an “off-nominal” orbit. However, the company has not disclosed further specifics about the malfunction or the timeline for the return of the rocket’s upper stage to Earth. Meanwhile, astronomer Jonathan McDowell has pointed out that Space Force data indicates an object in orbit, though it remains uncertain whether it is tracking the AST satellite or the upper stage of the New Glenn rocket. Neither the FAA nor Blue Origin has immediately responded to inquiries from The Verge for additional comments.
