Bezos 'Blue Origin' rocket puts satellite into wrong orbit

Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, confirmed that its New Glenn heavy rocket placed a satellite into the wrong orbit during its third launch.

The company stated that the circumstances are still under investigation and that it is currently assessing the situation and will provide an update on the data when more detailed information becomes available.

The satellite, named "Blue Bird 7," was placed in a lower orbit than intended, according to AST Space Mobile, the satellite's manufacturer.

The rocket launched as planned from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, marking the first time a previous flight booster had been reused, and the booster successfully landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean after separation.

Amazon founder Bezos wants Blue Origin to use the New Glenn system to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX, which currently dominates the commercial launch market.

The New Glenn rocket made it directly into space on its first flight in January 2025. On its second flight around ten months later, the rocket launched two Mars orbiters from the US space agency NASA into space.