Blue Origin Hot-Fires Reflown New Glenn Booster; Launch Set for Sunday
Blue Origin completed a roughly 20-second static fire of all seven BE-4 engines on the "Never Tell Me the Odds" booster at Launch Complex 36 at 7:45 a.m. EDT on April 16, clearing the last major ground milestone before the NG-3 mission attempts the company's first reuse of an orbital-class first stage. Launch is targeted NET 6:45 a.m. EDT Sunday, April 19, carrying AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird-7 Block 2 direct-to-cellphone satellite to low Earth orbit.
The booster flew on the NG-2 mission last November and landed on the drone ship Jacklyn, Blue Origin's first successful New Glenn recovery after losing the NG-1 stage on descent in January 2025. According to Spaceflight Now, CEO Dave Limp said on X that Blue Origin replaced all seven BE-4 engines between flights and added a thermal protection upgrade to one nozzle, preserving the NG-2 engines for future missions.
The mission also matters for AST SpaceMobile. One Block 2 BlueBird reached orbit in December aboard an Indian rocket, and each Block 2 satellite carries a 2,400-square-foot (223-square-meter) antenna, among the largest ever flown. NG-3 is the first dedicated New Glenn flight for the direct-to-cellphone constellation.
The key point is that Sunday's launch outcome converts Blue Origin's reuse claim from a refurbishment exercise into a flight-proven economic model, or doesn't.
Analysis coming.
Sources:
Will Robinson-Smith
Mike Wall