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sop

(18,989 posts)
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 07:22 PM Monday

'Blue Origin Put Satellite Into Wrong Orbit In Bungled Launch' [View all]

"Most private space companies are commercial launch providers. They have one job: delivering equipment from terra firma to space. Blue Origin successfully reused its New Glenn rocket for the first time on Sunday, but there was one significant problem. The rocket placed its payload into the wrong orbit. The tennis-court-sized satellite will face a fiery demise, as it's now slated for swift deorbit. Jeff Bezos' space company had one job and failed spectacularly."

"New Glenn's third mission featured the rocket lifting BlueBird 7, a direct-to-cellphone internet satellite, into low Earth orbit. Everything seemed to go according to plan until payload separation. According to a statement from AST SpaceMobile, the satellite's operator, BlueBird 7 was placed at an altitude too low for its onboard thrusters to sustain operations. While destroying a customer's multi-million-dollar satellite isn't good for business, Blue Origin actually foresaw a catastrophic mishap like this. The statement added, 'The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the company's insurance policy.' "

Continued at link:

https://www.jalopnik.com/2153041/blue-origin-put-satellite-into-wrong-orbit/

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