FAA Probes Blue Origin’s New Glenn After Launch Issue

Blue Origin is facing a setback after U.S. regulators stepped in to investigate a problem during its latest New Glenn rocket launch. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered the company to carry out a full review of what went wrong, meaning New Glenn flights are now on hold until the issue is resolved.

The incident occurred during the rocket’s third mission over the weekend. At first, things looked promising. Blue Origin successfully reused a New Glenn booster for the first time and landed it safely on a drone ship in the ocean—a major milestone that brings the company closer to matching the reusable rocket capabilities of SpaceX.

However, the success didn’t last. While the rocket’s second stage separated as planned, something appears to have gone wrong shortly afterward. The mission’s main objective was to deliver a communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile, but the payload was placed into a much lower orbit than intended.

That miscalculation proved critical. AST SpaceMobile later confirmed that the satellite is unlikely to be recovered and will eventually burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. The company noted that the loss is covered by insurance and added that replacement satellites are nearly ready for future launches.

The market reacted quickly to the news. AST SpaceMobile’s stock dropped more than 10% on Monday before recovering slightly later in the day.

For Blue Origin, the timing couldn’t be worse. The company had ambitious plans to conduct up to 12 more New Glenn launches this year. Now, those plans depend on how long the FAA investigation takes. So far, Blue Origin has not publicly commented on the upper-stage issue.

The setback also raises broader concerns about the company’s future missions. Beyond commercial satellite launches, Blue Origin is working on a lunar lander and aims to play a role in NASA’s efforts to return humans to the Moon.

Additionally, the company is seeking certification from the United States Space Force to carry out national security missions. Any delays or technical concerns could impact that process.

While the successful booster reuse is a big step forward, the upper-stage failure highlights the challenges still ahead. For now, all eyes are on the investigation—and how quickly Blue Origin can get New Glenn back on the launch pad.

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