Blue Origin's commercial satellite launch did not go well

Blue Origin's New Glenn 3 rocket faced a hiccup while delivering a satellite into low orbit. Paul Hennesy/Anadolu via Getty Images 2026-04-20T05:02:21.171Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin faced a hiccup in its latest rocket launch.

The New Glenn 3 rocket, intended to deliver a satellite into Earth's orbit, placed it far too low. AST SpaceMobile, the satellite company, said the satellite would not be able to operate there. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. What caused the orbit error? What are the implications for Blue Origin? What are the challenges of low Earth orbit? How does satellite insurance work? How does AST SpaceMobile's network function? Blue Origin's New Glenn 3 launch got the wrong address while delivering a satellite into Earth's orbit. Loading audio narration... New Glenn 3 took off from the Blue Origin launch base in Florida's Cape Canaveral on Sunday morning, carrying a satellite by satellite company AST Space Mobile, which it aimed to deliver into low Earth orbit.Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, gave updates during the launch on X, saying that liftoff went smoothly and that the rocket's booster had returned to earth. But in a post on X at about 9:40 a.m., more than two hours after New Glenn 3's liftoff, Blue Origin said it had delivered the BlueBird7 satellite to the wrong place."The payload was placed into an off-nominal orbit," the company said. "We are currently assessing and will update when we have more detailed information." A few hours later, in a press release on Sunday afternoon, AST SpaceMobile said that New Glenn 3 had placed the satellite in a "lower than planned orbit," and it would not be able to operate as planned."While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited," the company said in the release. AST SpaceMobile said that the satellite's cost will be recovered from its insurance policy.The company already has seven satellites in low Earth orbit, and it plans to have about 45 by the end of 2026. The satellites are key to developing AST SpaceMobile's space-based cellular broadband network. This is Blue Origin's third New Glenn launch, following two last year. The company launches its New Shepard rocket more frequently, taking tourists and celebrities on short flights to the edge of space, including Katy Perry and Bezos' partner, Lauren Sánchez.Blue Origin and AST SpaceMobile did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.