Blue Origin has been granted permission to launch rockets
Blue Origin successfully completed the investigation into a technical malfunction that occurred during the third test flight of its New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle, according to reports from Zemlya.uz.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has officially authorized the company to resume flights after confirming the final report on the incident that occurred during the April mission and closing the case.
During the flight, the rocket’s second stage encountered a serious issue when attempting to reignite its engines for a second time as planned. As a result, the BlueBird 7 telecommunications satellite failed to reach its intended orbit and remained at a very low altitude.
Consequently, the spacecraft was unable to fulfill its mission and was completely lost. According to preliminary findings by specialists, one of the engines failed to produce the required thrust due to an unexpected temperature change.
FAA officials stated that the anomaly was caused by the rupture of an overly cold component, which led to localized freezing in the hydraulic system and resulted in significant damage to the power unit.
During the investigation, Blue Origin engineers developed nine key corrective actions to prevent similar issues in the future. The federal agency said it will personally oversee the implementation of these measures before the next flight.
The company is currently preparing intensively for its fourth test flight. Leadership has released video footage showing the process of transporting the new rocket to the launch pad.
The next phase of preparation involves conducting full-thrust hot-fire tests of the launch vehicle. The exact date of the upcoming mission and the composition of its payload have not yet been disclosed.
Partner company AST SpaceMobile, which was scheduled to fly on this mission, has adjusted its logistics plans. The next batch of satellites is being prepared for launch using alternative launch vehicles.
Nevertheless, the operator has no intention of ending its cooperation with Blue Origin. Company representatives emphasized that such technical anomalies are a normal part of the early testing phase for new space systems and that mutual trust remains intact.
