Blue Origin’s rocket reuse achievement marred by upper stage failure
Summary
Blue Origin’s New Glenn booster achieved a successful first-stage flight and landing on its third flight, marking a milestone in booster reuse. However, the mission’s upper stage failed to achieve the intended orbit for AST SpaceMobile’s satellite, resulting in an off-nominal trajectory and de-orbit plans. The incident highlights ongoing upper-stage challenges in new heavy-lift programs and has implications for NASA’s Artemis program and competition with SpaceX.