Blue Origin hits major milestone with latest space mission and then utterly failed to achieve its main objective

Date:
Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:54:53 +0000

Description:
Blue Origin reused a rocket booster for the first time on a mission, but then failed to complete its objective.

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Blue Origin reused a rocket booster on its latest mission This was the first time it has done this, marking a major milestone However, the mission was a failure as it didn't place its satellite payload high enough Over the weekend Jeff Bezos Blue Origin space company hit a major milestone by successfully re-using a rocket booster for the first time deploying the same Never Tell
Me The Odds rocket in Sundays NG-3 mission that it used back in November for NG-2.

This should be a time for celebration as Blue Origin proves it can better compete with SpaceX on sustainability and space travel prowess, but it isnt. Why? Because NG-3s primary objective was an utter failure. Beyond a rocket booster reusability test, Blue Origin's primary goal for this flight was to drop an AST SpaceMobile communications satellite BlueBird 7 into orbit. It did technically do this, but NG-3 placed the satellite lower than planned as AST phrased it. Article continues below You may like Blue Origin shows SpaceX it can do reusable rocket boosters too Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin want to
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Per an AST SpaceMobile statement , While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will [be] de-orbited. The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the companys insurance
policy.

This means the satellite will be repositioned and left to burn up in the Earths atmosphere. Will SpaceX beat Blue Origin to the moon? (Image credit: SpaceX) It IS rocket science For AST SpaceMobile this failure isnt world-ending it says it still has plans to launch 45 more satellites before 2026 ends but for Blue Origin this failure will leave an embarrassing stain on what should have otherwise been a momentous flight.

The silver lining is, if this mission had to be a failure, at least Blue Origin messed up with a satellite launch and not the first launch of its
lunar lander which was originally meant to be NG-3s purpose. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The next NASA Artemis mission is expected to drop people onto the moon for
the first time in over 50 years, but it still needs a lander. SpaceX and Blue Origin are currently racing to design and test the craft that will take astronauts from their spaceship to the lunar surface, but neither has completed the project yet.

Because the Artemis missions are intended to establish a permanent lunar
base, the new lander approach cant be a repeat of the one-and-done style previous missions to the moon it needs to be something that can repeatedly shuttle crew and cargo.

Theres also a lot less room for failure when carrying crew compared with cargo. Things can be replaced, peoples lives cannot.

Well have to wait and see how this mistake affects Blue Origins lunar lander bid. Rocket science is famously difficult, so hopefully this will simply be a learning experience for the company. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/blue-origin-hits-major-milestone-with-latest-sp ace-mission-and-then-utterly-failed-to-achieve-its-main-objective


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