ASTS admits the satellite is too low and cannot be saved. Based on what the orbit appears to be. 20kg of fuel they can only raise it part of the way.
During the New Glenn 3 mission, BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower than planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle. 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. The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the company’s insurance policy.
BlueBird 7 would have been AST SpaceMobile’s eighth deployed into low Earth orbit and is one of many planned for its space-based cellular broadband network. The company is currently in production through BlueBird 32, with BlueBird 8 to 10 expected to be ready to ship in approximately 30 days.
The company continues to expect an orbital launch every one to two months on average during 2026, supported by agreements with multiple launch providers, and it continues to target approximately 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026.
The @BlueOrigin @AST_SpaceMobile launch has been tracked by Space Force as catalog 68765, 2026-85A, in a 154 x 494 km x 36.1 deg orbit. Epoch is 1138 UTC which is the time of SECO-1, so this may not be the final orbit. (If it is, then they are indeed toast).
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) April 19, 2026
They needed about 88 m/s to get to the right orbit.
BB7 Recovery Capability:
BB7 has ~51 m/s Δv available via onboard ion propulsion. (20kg of xeon), Recovery depends heavily on achieved perigee.
≥450 km: ~19 m/s required, Recoverable, minor mission impact.
Mission life reduction: ~30–40%
~400 km: ~33 m/s, Marginal, significant lifespan reduction.
Mission life reduction: ~60–70%
~350 km: ~48 m/s, Technically recoverable, but effectively a stub mission.
Mission life reduction: ~90%+
≤300 km: ≥62 m/s, Not recoverable, beyond onboard capability
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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