FAA grounds Blue Origin’s New Glenn after orbital setback

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has directed Blue Origin, the space company led by Jeff Bezos, to examine a technical issue with the upper stage of its New Glenn rocket. Following a recent launch, the agency ordered an investigation into why the second stage failed to position the AST SpaceMobile satellite correctly in orbit. Despite a successful liftoff from Florida on Sunday, the satellite did not reach the intended altitude, causing the mission to be deemed incomplete.

On Sunday, the New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable first stage performed as expected, landing safely on an ocean barge several minutes into the flight. However, the upper stage encountered a problem, preventing the satellite from achieving the necessary orbit for operational use. The FAA now requires Blue Origin to submit a detailed report and implement any required fixes before resuming launches.

“Preliminary data indicates that one of the upper-stage engines did not produce enough thrust,” stated Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s CEO. This issue led to the satellite reentering the atmosphere, as confirmed by the US Space Force on Monday.

The New Glenn rocket, standing 29 stories tall in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth in 1962, completed its third test flight. This mission followed delays this month and came after the successful Artemis II crewed flight, which took astronauts over 252,000 miles from Earth. NASA intends to use the New Glenn for its Artemis moon program, including launching the Blue Moon lunar lander. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starship is also a key player in lunar exploration plans, aiming to land humans on the moon by 2028.