NG-3 reflies a booster, but an upper-stage anomaly leaves AST's BlueBird 7 in an unusable orbit

Blue Origin/New Glenn

New Glenn's third flight on April 19, 2026 was the first to refly a booster, but a BE-3U upper-stage engine did not produce sufficient thrust on the second burn, leaving AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 in a lower-than-planned orbit. The satellite was subsequently deorbited; the booster landed nominally. The FAA grounded New Glenn pending investigation.

• April 19, 2026 launch; first successful booster reuse (November 2025 first flight); booster landed nominally
• Upper-stage anomaly: BE-3U engine insufficient thrust on second GS2 burn; BlueBird 7 deployed to low orbit
• BlueBird 7 could not sustain operations from low orbit; satellite deorbited with insurance covering losses
• FAA grounded New Glenn for anomaly investigation and required improvements before return to flight