Blue Origin's third New Glenn launch faces key reuse test in rivalry with SpaceX
FILE PHOTO: A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket is prepared for launch with NASA's EscaPADE mission with two satellites to orbit Mars, from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
April 16 : Blue Origin is set to launch its third New Glenn mission on Friday, carrying AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite to low-Earth orbit in a flight that marks a pivotal step for the Jeff Bezos-led company's ambitions.
The mission is critical in proving New Glenn, a 29-story heavy-lift rocket, can compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX, by demonstrating reliable booster reuse, a capability that has underpinned Falcon 9's dominance.
"The successful flight of New Glenn-3 would end SpaceX's nine-year monopoly on orbital launch vehicle reusability, marking a historic shift toward a competitive, multi-player market," said Micah Walter-Range, president of space consulting firm Caelus Partners.
The mission is scheduled for a launch window between 6:45 a.m. and 12:19 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Following a series of delays earlier this month, the mission comes amid a surge of activity in the space sector, including a successful NASA Artemis II lunar flyby.
The rocket's booster, "Never Tell Me the Odds," previously flew on the NG-2 mission in November and was recovered, setting up this week's milestone attempt. The name is a nod to Han Solo's line in 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.'
A successful landing would also signal Blue Origin is narrowing a gap with SpaceX, which has confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion.
Blue Origin said in November it would build a bigger, more powerful variant of its New Glenn rocket.
KEY PAYLOAD
New Glenn is designed for the higher end of the commercial launch market. Its seven-meter payload fairing allows it to carry bulkier payloads, including multiple satellites in a single mission.
On NG-3, the rocket will carry AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7, the second satellite in its next-generation Block 2 constellation.
The satellite features what the company describes as the largest commercial communications array deployed in low-Earth orbit.
Designed to connect directly with smartphones, the satellite is part of an effort to build a space-based cellular broadband network, similar to Amazon's Leo or SpaceX's Starlink.
AST SpaceMobile is targeting a constellation of 45 to 60 such satellites by the end of 2026.
