Blue Origin successfully launched its flagship New Glenn on its third flight from Cape Canaveral around 7:25 a.m. local time, marking a major step forward in its reusable rocket ambitions.
The first in the program, the rocket booster was reused and returned safely about 10 minutes after liftoff, landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean—an achievement critical to lowering launch costs and increasing flight frequency.
The mission carrying BlueBird 7 marks a significant milestone for AST SpaceMobile as it advances its ambitions to build a space-based cellular broadband network.
Payload: AST SpaceMobile satellite
The mission carried a satellite from AST SpaceMobile, which aims to expand its space mobile connectivity. The satellite is expected to be deployed approximately 75 minutes after launch.
AST SpaceMobile started 2026 with just seven satellites in orbit, but plans to expand rapidly and target up to 60 launches this year to build a global communications network right into the device.
The recovery of the reusable booster follows a similar success during the rocket’s second flight in November, strengthening Blue Origin’s push for routine reuse.
The competition is heating up
Blue Origin is racing to catch up with SpaceX, the only other company that routinely lands and reuses orbital-class boosters. The rivalry is intensifying as both firms expand into satellite communications and lunar exploration.
AST SpaceMobile faces competition from SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper projects in the fast-growing space-based mobile connectivity market.
Lunar Ambition
Earlier this year, Blue Origin suspended its New Shepard space tourism program to prioritize the development of lunar technology. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX have contracts with NASA to build lunar landers as part of efforts to support a planned manned landing on the moon by 2028.
