Blue Origin said a bad engine caused a weekend New Glenn launch from Cape Canaveral to leave a satellite in the wrong orbit, dooming the payload and triggering a pause in further New Glenn missions.
The company said in an announcement that launches of the New Glenn rocket are grounded until Blue Origin and the Federal Aviation Administration complete their investigation into the failure.
Jeff Bezos’ rocket company blamed the malfunction on a faulty engine, according to reporting that the flight "left a satellite in the wrong orbit, dooming it," the Washington Post reported. The Post’s account says the problem followed the vehicle’s first operational attempt after previous test flights.
Blue Origin and the Federal Aviation Administration will complete their probe before the company resumes launches, the announcement said; no timeline for returning New Glenn to flight was provided.
The recap
- Blue Origin blamed a bad engine for the failed launch.
- Satellite ended up in the wrong orbit, rendering it unusable.
- New Glenn launches are grounded pending Blue Origin and FAA investigation.