Blue Origin rocket grounded after failure

• Blue Origin grounded New Glenn rocket after failed Sunday launch
• An upper stage engine failure left a satellite in the wrong orbit
• NASA lunar missions depend on the rocket for the Artemis program

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, blamed a bad engine Monday for a failed weekend launch that left a satellite in the

wrong orbit, dooming it. Launches of the huge New Glenn rocket are grounded until Blue Origin and the Federal Aviation Administration complete their investigation.

The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday. The recycled first-stage booster performed well, landing on an ocean barge several minutes into the flight. However, the upper stage failed to place the satellite into a high enough orbit to begin operations.

Preliminary data indicate that one of the upper stage engines failed to produce sufficient thrust, according to Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp.

The satellite was intended to join AST SpaceMobile's network of satellites designed to provide direct space-to-smartphone service.

According to the U.S. Space Force, the rocket’s upper stage and satellite reentered the atmosphere on Monday, though no additional details were provided.

This incident marks only the third flight for New Glenn, Blue Origin's substantial rocket aimed at delivering spacecraft to orbit. NASA relies on New Glenn to launch Blue Moon lunar landers as part of the Artemis moon program, while SpaceX's Starship is also a contender to land astronauts on the moon by 2028.

Standing over 320 feet (98 meters) tall, the rocket is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth in 1962.