Blue Origin has received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to return its New Glenn rocket to flight after an investigation into the anomaly that affected an April launch.
The rocket had been grounded after its upper stage failed to deliver a commercial payload into orbit. According to Blue Origin, the upper stage experienced an “off-nominal thermal condition” that caused one of its three engines to produce lower-than-expected thrust. As a result, a satellite belonging to AST SpaceMobile was unable to reach orbit and later burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. The satellite was insured, covering the loss of the spacecraft.
Blue Origin said it submitted a report to the FAA and implemented corrective measures before receiving approval to fly again. However, the company did not disclose specific details about the fixes.
Despite the payload loss, the mission achieved a major milestone. During what was New Glenn’s third flight, Blue Origin successfully reused the rocket’s booster for the first time and landed it safely on a drone ship at sea, marking the booster’s second successful recovery.
The FAA’s approval allows Blue Origin to move forward with its plans for New Glenn, which is expected to play a key role in the company’s commercial launch ambitions. The company has previously stated that it hopes to conduct as many as 12 New Glenn launches by the end of 2026, although it remains unclear how much the temporary grounding may affect that schedule.
With the investigation complete and regulatory clearance secured, New Glenn is now positioned to resume missions as Blue Origin continues expanding its launch operations.
