AST SpaceMobile Slides 7% After New Glenn Failure, Satellites Shift to Falcon 9
ASTS•AST SpaceMobile shares fell 7% after a Blue Origin New Glenn hotfire failure delayed the rocket bound for Amazon’s Project Kuiper payloads and left BlueBird 7 off-orbit. BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 have arrived at Cape Canaveral for mid-June Falcon 9 integration under ASTS’s 2024 multi-launch Block 2 BlueBird agreement.
1. Blue Origin New Glenn Anomaly
During a routine New Glenn hotfire test at Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin experienced a structural failure that aborted its planned fourth mission and disrupted the vehicle set to carry Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites. The incident marked the second major New Glenn setback in less than two months and triggered a 7% overnight slump in AST SpaceMobile shares.
2. Impact on ASTS Satellite Deployment Plans
AST SpaceMobile signed a 2024 multi-launch agreement for Block 2 BlueBird deployments with Blue Origin, making the partnership critical for its network rollout. The New Glenn disruption raises concerns over potential schedule shifts and orbit insertions for ASTS’s future satellites, including the already stranded BlueBird 7.
3. Alternative Launch Arrangements and Next Integrations
To mitigate risk, ASTS has rerouted BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 to a mid-June Falcon 9 mission at Cape Canaveral, where they are undergoing final processing and integration. This contingency highlights ASTS’s reliance on multiple launch providers to maintain its aggressive satellite deployment timeline.
