FAA orders investigation into Blue Origin's New Glenn mishap | TechCrunch

"The Federal Aviation Administration has instructed Blue Origin to perform an investigation into the apparent failure of the upper stage of its New Glenn rocket on Sunday. That means the company won't be able to fly New Glenn again until it completes the probe."

"While the New Glenn rocket's second stage successfully separated from the booster, something apparently went wrong shortly after. AST SpaceMobile said in a statement on Sunday that the rocket placed the satellite in a 'lower than planned' orbit - so low, in fact, that the company considers the satellite a lost cause."

"Developing and proving rocket reusability is a major step forward for Blue Origin and could put it on a path to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX, the only other spaceflight company that can accomplish this feat."

The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated Blue Origin to investigate the upper stage failure of its New Glenn rocket, halting further launches until the probe is complete. This setback could hinder Blue Origin's plans for 12 additional missions this year. The failure occurred during the rocket's third launch, which initially succeeded in reusing a booster. The primary mission to deliver a satellite for AST SpaceMobile failed, resulting in the satellite being placed in a lower orbit than intended, leading to its loss. AST SpaceMobile has insurance for the satellite and plans to launch new satellites soon.

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