Overview
- Blue Origin completed a roughly 20-second static fire of all seven BE-4 engines, and the team is reviewing data for a possible launch as soon as this weekend.
- The NG-3 mission will fly a previously recovered New Glenn booster named “Never Tell Me the Odds” after a full swap of all seven engines and a test of new nozzle thermal protection.
- The rocket is slated to deploy AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird-7, a direct-to-smartphone satellite that the company says has the largest commercial communications array in low Earth orbit.
- Reuters frames the flight as a pivotal proof of New Glenn’s reuse plan as Blue Origin tries to challenge SpaceX’s record of hundreds of booster reflights.
- Blue Origin says New Glenn boosters are designed for up to 25 flights, a second reusable option that could cut launch costs and speed builds like AST’s planned 45 to 60-satellite network by late 2026.