Blue Origin launched the company’s third New Glenn rocket Sunday, re-flying and successfully recovering a previously used first stage. But the rocket’s second stage put the payload, a direct-to-cellphone communications satellite, in an unusable orbit, officials said.AST SpaceMobile of Midland, Texas, builder of the BlueBird 7 satellite, said in a statement the cellular relay station’s on-board propulsion system could not compensate for the lower-than-planned altitude.Spectators along the beach in Cape Canaveral, Florida, enjoy a spectacular Sunday morning launch, taking in the view of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket blasting off carrying a next-generation cellular broadband satellite. The company said later the AST SpaceMobile Bluebird 7 satellite ended up in the wrong orbit. / Credit: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflightnow.com”During the New Glenn 3 mission, BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle,” the company said. “While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited.”AdvertisementAdvertisementThe cost of the satellite was not revealed, but the company said it was fully insured.The New Glenn launched Sunday was Blue Origin’s third and the first using a previously flown first stage. The company is owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos.Liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station came at 7:25 a.m. ET, 40 minutes after an unexplained hold in the countdown. When the count finally hit zero, the towering rocket’s seven methane-burning BE-4 engines ignited with a ground shaking roar and the booster began climbing away atop 3.8 million pounds of thrust.Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, posted video showing the New Glenn first stage, flying for the second time, making an on-target touchdown on a company landing barge stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. / Credit: Blue OriginThe first stage appeared to work flawlessly, shutting down and falling away as planned about three minutes and nine seconds after liftoff. The rocket’s second stage, powered by two BE-3 engines, then ignited to continue the climb to an initial orbit.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe first stage, meanwhile, headed for a Blue Origin’s landing barge stati …
