New Glenn Successfully Reuses First-Stage, Deviates in Orbit During Third Mission
Blue Origin has launched its third New Glenn mission, reusing first-stage booster 'Never Tell Me The Odds', but underperforming on customer satellite delivery.
From Launch Complex 36 in Florida, New Glenn ascended toward space just after sunrise under the power of its seven BE-4 engines. Those engines powered the rocket for three minutes, releasing the second-stage just shy of the Kármán line.
— Dave Limp (@davill) April 19, 2026
After a beautiful sunrise ascent of the first-stage, powered by seven new BE-4 engines, booster 'Never Tell Me The Odds' descended back towards Earth and aiming for the 'Jacklyn' droneship placed downrange. Just over nine minutes into flight, three BE-4 engines reignited for the first-stages landing burn, shedding most of its speed and then dropping down to one for an incredible second landing, for both the booster and Blue Origin.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 19, 2026
With the landing completed, Blue Origin ended its livestream of the mission without showing views of the second-stgage. While views of it were not present, New Glenn's second-stage was deviating from its established flight plan. A few hours after liftoff Blue Origin took to social media to share:
"We have confirmed payload separation. AST SpaceMobile has confirmed the satellite has powered on. The payload was placed into an off-nominal orbit."
Outside of the company, the United States Space Force tracked the second-stage to a 154 by 494 kilometer 36.1 degree low Earth orbit, far off of targets for a circular 460 kilometer 49.4 degree orbit. Due to that, the sole satellite being launched today will not enter operation and will be deorbited.
As for what New Glenn was meant to deliver its target orbit, it was a BlueBird Block-2 satellite from AST SpaceMobile. That satellite is planned to be part of a constellation that will provide space-based mobile broadband via each spacecraft's 2,400-square-foot (222.96 square meter) communications array.
What is New Glenn?
New Glenn is Blue Origin's partially reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle. The rocket currently flies solely from Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral, located in Florida. The payload capacity of New Glenn, when recovering the booster downrange, is stated to be:
- 45,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit
- 13,600 kilograms to geostationary transfer orbit
- 7,000 kilograms to a trans-lunar trajectory
The first-stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen to generate 1,746 tons of thrust. The second-stage uses two BE-3U engines burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to generate 145 tons of thrust.
For recovery, New Glenn utilizes four fins located near the top of the booster, to control the boosters' descent when unpowered, and six landing legs that are stowed at the bottom of the booster during flight. It is currently expected that Blue Origin only plans to land the first-stage booster downrange on a drone ship.
On the launch pad, the rocket is 98 meters tall and 7 meters in diameter, Blue Origin has not yet said how much the launch vehicle weighs fully fuelled.
