---
type: source
title: "Blue Origin reuses New Glenn booster for first time on NG-3 but upper stage places satellite in wrong orbit"
author: "Space.com / SpaceNews / TechCrunch / GeekWire (multiple outlets)"
url: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/blue-origin-reuses-new-glenn-rocket-landing-success-1st-time-on-april-19-2026-video
date: 2026-04-19
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-04-21
priority: high
tags: [new-glenn, blue-origin, launch-vehicle, reusability, upper-stage-failure, FAA, VIPER, pattern-2]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

Blue Origin launched New Glenn for the third time on April 19, 2026 from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. The first-stage booster "Never Tell Me The Odds" (previously flown on NG-2, November 2025) separated cleanly and executed a precision propulsive landing on drone ship Jacklyn in the Atlantic — Blue Origin's first successful booster reuse.

However, the mission's core objective failed. The BE-3U upper stage experienced engine "insufficient thrust" during the second GS2 burn. AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 — a Block 2 satellite with 2,400 sq ft phased array (vs. 693 sq ft Block 1) and 10x Block 1 bandwidth — was placed in a too-low orbit and declared lost within 24 hours. The satellite will deorbit and burn up.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp: "Early data suggest that on our second GS2 burn, one of the BE-3U engines didn't produce sufficient thrust to reach our target orbit."

FAA classified the outcome as a mishap and grounded New Glenn pending investigation. No resolution timeline given. Blue Origin had planned up to 12 New Glenn missions in 2026.

AST SpaceMobile noted the satellite loss is covered by insurance and reaffirmed its 45-satellite 2026 target, with BlueBird satellites 8, 9, and 10 ready to ship within 30 days (using non-New Glenn launchers).

Sources: Space.com, SpaceNews, TechCrunch, GeekWire, CNBC, Via Satellite, Aviation Week

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** NG-3 is the 19-session binary event that has tracked Blue Origin's execution against its ambitious manifest. The booster reuse succeeded (headline achievement) but the mission failed (operational deliverable). The FAA grounding is the most consequential downstream effect — Blue Origin has a CLPS commitment (VIPER, late 2027) using Blue Moon MK1, which requires New Glenn reliability by mid-2027 to meet the schedule.

**What surprised me:** The specificity of the failure — single engine "insufficient thrust" during the second upper stage burn — suggests a hardware reliability issue, not a guidance/software problem. This is a different failure mode than Starship's early upper stage issues (harmonic oscillation → propellant leak). Whether it's systematic or random is the critical investigation question.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any indication that Blue Origin has a backup launch vehicle for VIPER if New Glenn remains grounded. The CLPS contract appears to assume Blue Moon MK1 delivery without documented contingency.

**KB connections:**
- Pattern 2 (institutional timelines slipping, 19+ sessions): CONFIRMED AND EXTENDED — execution gap now includes mission quality, not just schedule
- Space governance gaps claim: FAA grounding shows commercial launch is still subject to regulatory constraint at critical moments
- Single-player dependency (Belief 7): While this is about Blue Origin not SpaceX, it reinforces the theme that major space programs have concentrated launch vehicle dependencies
- VIPER → ISRU site selection chain (from April 13 musing): NG-3 failure threatens the prerequisite chain for Phase 2 ISRU

**Extraction hints:**
- New claim: NG-3 upper stage failure creates timeline risk for VIPER 2027 and Blue Origin's 2026 commercial manifest
- Possible Pattern 2 update: three NG flights, one upper stage failure (33%) — early but concerning reliability rate
- Consider: does NG-3's booster reuse success vs. upper stage failure map onto SpaceX's own early Starship trajectory (caught boosters, lost upper stages)?

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: Space governance gaps widening / Pattern 2 institutional timelines slipping
WHY ARCHIVED: NG-3 is the definitive resolution of a 19-session tracked binary event; FAA grounding creates measurable risk to VIPER 2027 timeline
EXTRACTION HINT: Focus on (1) the VIPER/CLPS timeline impact of grounding and (2) whether 33% upper stage failure rate (1/3 flights) represents a systematic reliability concern — not just on the booster reuse success headline
