CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Jeff Bezos’ rocket firm, Blue Origin, blamed a foul engine Monday for a failed weekend launch that left a satellite tv for pc within the fallacious orbit, dooming it.
Launches of the large New Glenn rocket are grounded till Blue Origin and the Federal Aviation Administration full their investigation.
The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Area Power Station on Sunday. The recycled first-stage booster carried out effectively, touchdown on an ocean barge a number of minutes into the flight. However the higher stage was unable to place the satellite tv for pc right into a excessive sufficient orbit to start operations.
Preliminary knowledge point out that one of many higher stage engines failed to supply sufficient thrust, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp mentioned Monday.
There was no speedy phrase on when or the place the rocket’s higher stage or the AST SpaceMobile satellite tv for pc would possibly plunge by the environment. The satellite tv for pc was supposed to affix AST SpaceMobile’s orbiting community of satellites designed to offer direct space-to-smart telephone service.
It was solely the third flight for New Glenn, Blue Origin’s hulking rocket for delivering spacecraft to orbit. NASA is relying on New Glenn to launch Blue Moon lunar landers for the Artemis moon program. SpaceX’s Starship can also be within the operating to land astronauts on the moon as early as 2028.
Towering greater than 320 toes (98 meters), the rocket is known as for John Glenn, the primary American to orbit Earth in 1962.
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