A May 28 explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, visible from kilometers away, has raised questions about methane fuel safety. While the exact cause is unknown, the incident highlights methane's reactivity with oxygen and the challenges of its use as rocket fuel, despite its advantages over liquid hydrogen.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a hot-fire test at Cape Canaveral, causing significant damage and raising concerns for Amazon's satellite internet rollout. No injuries were reported, and Amazon confirmed its satellites were safe and not on board.
SpaceX veterans recall the 2016 Falcon 9 rocket explosion as Blue Origin faces a similar challenge with its New Glenn rocket. Experts doubt Blue Origin's timeline for returning to flight, emphasizing the complex infrastructure rebuild required.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp announced plans for another New Glenn rocket launch in 2026, despite a major explosion during recent testing. The company aims to fly again before the end of 2026, a timeline considered aggressive by industry observers.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman estimates that repairs to the Cape Canaveral launch pad following the New Glenn rocket explosion will take approximately two years, with completion expected by 2028. The extensive infrastructure restoration will require significant time.
Briefs on space tech advancements, satellite launches, environmental observations, and scientific discoveries, including Russia's Rassvet, Mexico City's sinking, 2026 hurricane season outlook, and more.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a preflight static fire test in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with no personnel harmed; the incident delays a planned mission to launch 48 satellites for Amazon's Leo internet service.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has been cleared to fly by the FAA after an April launch failure. The upper stage experienced a thermal issue, causing a satellite to burn up. The company implemented corrective measures and aims to resume its aggressive launch schedule.
Blue Origin has launched a new employee stock plan. This aims to boost morale and make benefits competitive with SpaceX. The new plan allows payouts during external funding rounds and tender offers. This offers employees a chance to realize value from their vested options. The company is also focused on its New Glenn rocket and lunar lander projects.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully landed its reusable booster on a drone ship during the NG-3 mission, marking the first reuse of a flown booster. However, the upper stage failed to place the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 satellite in the correct orbit, placing it too low for operations. The FAA has grounded New Glenn pending investigation, with Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp acknowledging the BE-3U engine didn't produce sufficient thrust. This marks the first major failure for the program since its inaugural flight in January 2025.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully launched from Cape Canaveral but failed to deploy an AST SpaceMobile communications satellite into the correct orbit, resulting in payload loss. While NASA was not directly involved, the failure has implications for the Artemis programme as Blue Origin is contracted to develop a human landing system. The rocket is grounded pending FAA investigation, creating uncertainty for NASA's timeline to return humans to the Moon later this decade.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has been grounded by the FAA following a failed launch attempt on Sunday. The rocket, carrying an AST SpaceMobile satellite intended for low-earth orbit mobile phone connectivity, failed to deliver the satellite to its intended orbit due to insufficient engine thrust. This was only the third flight for the New Glenn, which was planning twelve launches this year. AST SpaceMobile's shares fell over 6% on Monday, though the company says the loss is covered by insurance.
FAA has instructed Blue Origin to investigate the upper stage failure of its New Glenn rocket during Sunday's launch, grounding the vehicle until the probe concludes. The third New Glenn launch successfully landed a reused booster but placed AST SpaceMobile's communications satellite in a lower than planned orbit, rendering it lost. AST SpaceMobile says it has insurance coverage and new satellites ready in weeks. The failure could impact Blue Origin's goal of 12 missions this year and its lunar lander ambitions.
The FAA grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket after its upper stage failed to deliver AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite to the correct orbit during a Sunday launch from Cape Canaveral. The satellite was placed in a lower-than-planned orbit that is too low to sustain operations and will be de-orbited. The rocket's reusable booster landed successfully. This is the second time the FAA has grounded a Blue Origin rocket, following a 2022 grounding of the New Shepard.
Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket, showcasing reusable booster technology with a vertical landing. This achievement, acknowledged by Elon Musk, comes amidst ongoing regulatory disputes between Amazon and SpaceX concerning satellite proposals. Both companies are vying for FCC approval for large satellite constellations, highlighting a competitive landscape in space infrastructure.
Today's launch of AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite aboard Blue Origin's reusable New Glenn rocket was a partial success. The New Glenn touched down on its landing pad without incident, making it the second launch and landing for the first stage booster, and officially giving Jeff Bezos a reusable launch vehicle. Unfortunately for AST SpaceMobile, […]
It's a major milestone for the company's new mega-rocket system, putting it in position to challenge SpaceX's dominance of the global launch market.
Blue Origin achieved its first reuse of a New Glenn rocket on the heavy-lift system's third flight, successfully recovering the booster on a drone ship. However, the mission was partially marred when the upper stage placed AST SpaceMobile's communications satellite into an orbit lower than planned, requiring de-orbiting.
Blue Origin will soon launch the third flight of its New Glenn rocket, this time with a reused booster.
