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AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile

Public Satellite Communications Company

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Blue Origin proves New Glenn booster reuse, enters the reusable heavy-lift race

New Capabilities

BlueBird 7 declared total loss; ~$30M insurance recovery expected; ASTS shares fell >5%, erasing ~$2B market cap; reaffirmed 45-satellite 2026 target; BlueBirds 8–10 in production

Blue Origin flew a previously used New Glenn booster for the first time on April 19, 2026, becoming the second company ever to reuse an orbital-class rocket stage. The booster, 'Never Tell Me the Odds,' first flew in November 2025 and landed successfully again on the drone ship Jacklyn roughly ten minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. One engine on the expendable upper stage didn't produce enough thrust during its second burn, leaving AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 stranded in an orbit too low for the satellite's electric thrusters to correct.

Updated May 31