AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite was placed into a lower‑than‑planned orbit by Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket on April 19 2026, forcing the company to de‑orbit the asset after the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on.
The company confirmed that the satellite’s altitude was too low for its on‑board thrusters to maintain orbit, and the loss will be covered by insurance. "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 company said.
BlueBird 7 would have been the company’s eighth satellite in orbit. The incident marks the first major setback for the launch program and could delay the start of beta service, potentially impacting the timeline for recognizing commercial service revenue and the ability to meet the 45‑satellite target by year‑end 2026.
The company reiterated its launch cadence, stating it expects an orbital launch every one to two months on average during 2026 and that BlueBird 8, 9 and 10 should be ready to ship within about 30 days. "We continue to expect an orbital launch every one to two months on average during 2026, supported by agreements with multiple launch providers, and we remain on track to deploy approximately 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026," the company said.
Management noted that the first stage of the New Glenn was nominal and the booster was recovered, but the second stage did not place BlueBird 7 on its intended orbit. "The first stage was nominal, and the booster came back beautifully. We separated and turned on as expected, but the launch vehicle second stage did not place BlueBird‑7 on its intended orbit," CEO Abel Avellan said.
The incident is Blue Origin’s first launch failure and has prompted an investigation that could ground the New Glenn for months, increasing launch‑partner risk for AST SpaceMobile. The company’s robust satellite production pipeline, with satellites through BlueBird 32 in manufacturing, mitigates supply constraints but the loss of a satellite and potential launch delays could still affect the company’s deployment schedule and revenue ramp.
The market reacted with a 10‑15% drop in pre‑market trading on April 20 2026, reflecting investor concerns about execution risk, launch reliability, and the potential impact on the company’s ambitious 2026 deployment roadmap.
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