It’s one thing when Amazon delivers a package to the wrong address, but a totally different issue when Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, delivers a satellite to the wrong orbit.
Maybe it isn’t different, but just a bigger scale.
Blue Origin recovered its first reused orbital-class rocket, notching a check in the win column of space flight, Space.com reported.
But the mission was not without an issue, specifically, the payload it was carrying ended up in the wrong orbit.
The New Glenn rocket performed as planned, and, as Space.com noted, the social media updates were celebratory.
“We have confirmed payload separation. AST SpaceMobile has confirmed the satellite has powered on. The payload was placed into an off-nominal orbit. We are currently assessing and will update when we have more detailed information,” the company shared.
NG-3 Update: We have confirmed payload separation. AST SpaceMobile has confirmed the satellite has powered on. The payload was placed into an off-nominal orbit. We are currently assessing and will update when we have more detailed information.
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 19, 2026
Satellite company AST SpaceMobile explained: “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 [be] de-orbited,” adding, “The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the company’s insurance policy.”
The BlueBird 7 was going to be one of the largest satellites with an antenna spanning 2,400 square feet to provide space-based cellular broadband to smartphones.
Despite the potential setback, AST SpaceMobile plans to launch a satellite once every one or two months this year on average with BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 ready to ship in about a month, CNBC reported.
© 2026 Cox Media Group
