Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Grounded by FAA After Second-Stage Mishap Damages Satellite

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is grounded. The Federal Aviation Administration halted launches in April 2026 after a second-stage mishap during a mission carrying an AST SpaceMobile satellite.

The satellite was damaged in the incident. AST SpaceMobile, which is building a space-based cellular broadband network, did not immediately disclose the extent of the damage or how it would affect the company's deployment timeline.

The FAA grounding requires Blue Origin to investigate the cause of the mishap and demonstrate corrective actions before New Glenn can fly again. The process typically takes weeks to months, depending on the complexity of the issue.

New Glenn is Blue Origin's heavy-lift orbital rocket, designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur. It made its first successful orbital flight in January 2025 after years of development delays.

The grounding is a setback for Blue Origin, which has been working to establish New Glenn as a reliable commercial launch vehicle. Reliability is the key metric in the launch business: customers need to trust that their payloads will reach orbit safely.

SpaceX has set a high bar. The Falcon 9 has completed hundreds of successful missions and has a reusability record that no competitor has matched. New Glenn is designed to be reusable as well, but it has far fewer flights in its history.

AST SpaceMobile has been one of the more closely watched satellite companies in recent years. Its direct-to-cell technology, which allows standard smartphones to connect to satellites without special hardware, has attracted partnerships with major carriers including AT&T and Verizon.

Blue Origin has not provided a timeline for when New Glenn will return to flight.