Blue Origin Cleared to Relaunch New Glenn After Investigation

Blue Origin has concluded its investigation into a failure during the third flight of its New Glenn rocket, paving the way for the vehicle to resume launches. The company announced on May 22 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved its report detailing the investigation into the April 19 launch of New Glenn on the NG-3 mission. The incident occurred when the rocket's second stage, designated GS2, experienced an issue during its second burn, preventing the BlueBird 7 satellite for AST SpaceMobile from reaching its intended orbit.

According to Blue Origin, "Prior to our second GS2 burn, we experienced an off-nominal thermal condition, and, as a result, one of the BE-3U engines didn’t achieve full thrust to reach our target orbit." The FAA confirmed that it has closed the investigation, which was led by Blue Origin, and has permitted the company to proceed with future launches of the heavy-lift rocket.

The FAA's final mishap report identified the cause as "a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line and led to a thrust anomaly during the second-stage engine burn." Blue Origin has committed to implementing nine corrective actions to prevent similar events in the future, though the specific measures were not disclosed by the agency. "The FAA will verify that Blue Origin implements corrective actions prior to the launch of the next New Glenn mission," a spokesperson stated.

Looking Ahead to Future Missions

While Blue Origin has not released further details regarding its next New Glenn launch, designated NG-4, the company indicated it is preparing for the mission. Earlier on May 22, Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, shared a video on social media showing a new vehicle being positioned on a transporter-erector, with the caption "Next stop integrated hotfire." The customer and schedule for the NG-4 mission remain undisclosed.

Meanwhile, AST SpaceMobile, the customer for the failed NG-3 mission, has already shipped three BlueBird satellites to Florida for a June launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Scott Wisniewski, AST's chief strategy officer, commented on the nature of upper-stage anomalies during a May 11 earnings call, stating, "An upper-stage anomaly like this is not uncommon early in programs, and we feel optimistic about them getting back to the pad soon." He also mentioned that the subsequent New Glenn launch for AST will carry four BlueBird satellites, though a timeframe for this mission has not yet been provided.

The successful resolution of this investigation is critical for Blue Origin's commercial aspirations with the New Glenn rocket. The vehicle is intended to compete in the heavy-lift launch market, serving both commercial satellite operators and government entities. Resolving the technical issues identified in the NG-3 flight and receiving FAA approval are significant steps toward establishing reliability and operational cadence for the program. The delay caused by the investigation underscores the complexities of developing new, large-scale launch vehicles and the rigorous oversight required by regulatory bodies.