Tag: New Glenn
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AST SpaceMobile secures multi-launch agreements with Blue Origin, ISRO and SpaceX
An artist’s rendering of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites in low Earth orbit. Graphic: AST SpaceMobile A company aiming to bring cell service to unmodified smartphones using a satellite network announced Thursday it had secured its ability to reach low Earth orbit. During a third quarter earnings call, AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) revealed new launch agreements…
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AST SpaceMobile chooses Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets for satellite launches
An artist’s conception shows AST SpaceMobile’s Bluebird satellites in orbit. (AST SpaceMobile Illustration) AST SpaceMobile plans to use Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to launch some of the satellites for its space-based cellular broadband network in 2025 and 2026. New Glenn has been under development at Jeff Bezos’ privately held space venture for more than…
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The New Glenn rocket’s first stage is real, and it’s spectacular
Blue Origin took another significant step toward the launch of its large New Glenn rocket on Tuesday night by rolling the first stage of the vehicle to a launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Although the company’s rocket factory in Florida is only a few miles from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force…
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Rocket Report: Sneak peek at the business end of New Glenn; France to fly FROG
Welcome to Edition 7.17 of the Rocket Report! Next week marks 10 years since one of the more spectacular launch failures of this century. On October 28, 2014, an Antares rocket, then operated by Orbital Sciences, suffered an engine failure six seconds after liftoff from Virginia and crashed back onto the pad in a fiery…
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New Glenn second stage completes hot fire test
Blue Origin has hot-fired the second stage of New Glenn for the first time, continuing to work toward its inaugural launch. Over the last year, the company has continued to lead New Glenn to its first flight and has confidently and rapidly pushed for a successful mission. The launch date is coming up in only…
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For the first time, Blue Origin has ignited an orbital rocket stage
Twenty days after it rolled out to Blue Origin’s launch site in Florida, the second stage of the massive New Glenn rocket underwent a successful hot-fire test on Monday. The second stage—known as GS2 for Glenn stage 2—ignited for 15 seconds as part of the “risk reduction” hot-fire test, the company said. The two BE-3U…
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Rocket Report: China leaps into rocket reuse; 19 people are currently in orbit
Welcome to Edition 7.11 of the Rocket Report! Outside of companies owned by American billionaires, the most imminent advancements in reusable rockets are coming from China’s quasi-commercial launch industry. This industry is no longer nascent. After initially relying on solid-fueled rocket motors apparently derived from Chinese military missiles, China’s privately funded launch firms are testing…
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Blue Origin shifts its plans for New Glenn rocket after NASA postpones Mars mission
Elements of the New Glenn rocket’s first stage are mated at Blue Origin’s factory in Florida. (Blue Origin Photo) NASA is delaying the launch of its ESCAPADE probes to Mars, which means plans for the debut of Blue Origin’s heavy-lift New Glenn rocket will change as well. New Glenn was previously due to send the…
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The New Glenn rocket’s second stage set to roll to the launch pad on Monday
Blue Origin plans to enter the final phase of its launch preparations for the New Glenn rocket on Monday by rolling the vehicle’s second stage to Launch Complex 36 in Florida. Pending weather and other final considerations, a rollout could occur as early as Monday afternoon. This is the flight version of the vehicle, with…
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Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket program reportedly faces failures during testing
Blue Origin practices maneuvering a 200-foot-tall New Glenn first-stage simulator at Port Canaveral in Florida. (Blue Origin Photo / John Kraus) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has encountered two recent failures in its efforts to get orbital-class New Glenn rockets ready for future launches from Florida, Bloomberg News reported today. For its first-ever launch,…