Blue Origin\u2019s flagship New Glenn rocket launched to space on its third flight, reusing a booster for the first time in a milestone for the Jeff Bezos-backed company in its quest to rival SpaceX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rocket took off from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida at approximately 07:25 local time, and its reusable first stage returned to Earth at 07:35, touching down on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New Glenn was carrying a satellite built by AST SpaceMobile Inc., a Texas-based company building out a network to deliver connectivity directly to mobile phones. The rocket is expected to deploy the satellite around 75 minutes after the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The satellite launch is the first of the year for AST SpaceMobile, which started 2026 with only seven satellites in orbit. The company said in March that it intends to launch as many as 60 satellites this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key to Blue Origin\u2019s ambitious plans for space exploration, New Glenn is years behind schedule and has faced longer-than-expected waiting periods between its flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue Origin Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp would like to launch eight to 12 flights this year, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview ahead of the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have plenty of hardware to do that,\u201d he said, noting the unprecedented demand for launches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd by the way I think demand is going up,\u201d he added, citing the growing number of satellite-based internet services and connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue Origin expected six to eight New Glenn launches last year, Limp said around the time of the rocket\u2019s debut in January 2025, but ended the year with only two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During New Glenn\u2019s second launch in November, the company recovered the rocket\u2019s booster, a necessary step to recycle components for multiple launches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX is the only other company to land a booster vertically after launching it toward orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AST SpaceMobile is aiming to build its network and begin commercial service as it faces growing competition from SpaceX and Amazon LEO to provide space-based connectivity to smartphones and other mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On April 14, Amazon agreed to acquire satellite firm Globalstar and announced a plan to enter the nascent market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue Origin has unveiled a series of initiatives to expand its business beyond launch, including plans for an orbital data center and a new satellite network intended to provide connectivity to government and data centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company also announced in January that it would pause space tourism flights on its New Shepard rocket to focus on developing technology for the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue Origin and SpaceX both hold contracts with NASA to develop lunar landers and are competing to meet the deadline of the space agency\u2019s planned moon landing mission in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue Origin\u2019s Mark 1 lunar lander has \u201ca very good chance\u201d of landing on the moon later this year, Limp said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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