FAA Clears New Glenn After April 19 Failure
Blue Origin’s new glenn can fly again after the Federal Aviation Administration approved the company’s investigation into the April 19 NG-3 failure. The decision ends the launch pause after the rocket’s third flight lost its upper-stage mission. The agency will still check Blue Origin’s fixes before the next launch.
NG-3 second burn failure
During the flight, the second stage, called GS2 by the company, had a problem during its second burn. That left the BlueBird 7 satellite for AST SpaceMobile in an orbit too low for recovery. For operators and customers planning around New Glenn, the practical change is that the rocket is no longer grounded by this mishap.
Blue Origin said, “Prior to our second GS2 burn, we experienced an off-nominal thermal condition, and, as a result, one of the BE-3U engines didn’t achieve full thrust to reach our target orbit.” The company’s own account points to an upper-stage propulsion shortfall rather than a launch-site issue.
FAA signs off on fixes
The FAA said, “The final mishap report identified the direct cause of the mishap as a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line and led to a thrust anomaly during the second-stage engine burn.” It also said Blue Origin identified nine corrective actions to prevent recurrence of the event. Those fixes now sit at the center of whether the next mission clears the pad without another review cycle.
The agency will verify that Blue Origin implements the corrective actions before the next New Glenn mission. Blue Origin said it was preparing for NG-4, but it has not disclosed a schedule or the customer. That leaves the launch cadence open, even as the regulatory lock on the rocket has been lifted.
Dave Limp and NG-4
Dave Limp posted a video of a new vehicle being installed on a transporter-erector and wrote, “Next stop integrated hotfire”.
Scott Wisniewski said on May 11 that “An upper-stage anomaly like this is not uncommon early in programs, and we feel optimistic about them getting back to the pad soon,” while also saying the next New Glenn launch for AST will carry four BlueBird satellites. AST SpaceMobile recently shipped three BlueBird satellites to Florida for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in June, which shows the company is keeping one foot in that manifest while waiting on the New Glenn slot to firm up.
