Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Sparks 18.5% Plunge in AST SpaceMobile Shares
ASTS•Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on May 29 at Cape Canaveral, jeopardizing AST SpaceMobile’s planned four-satellite launches and contributing to an 18.5% share decline alongside Deutsche Bank’s downgrade to Hold with a $106 price target. The launch delay threatens AST’s goal of 45 satellites in orbit by year-end.
1. Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion
On May 29 at Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a test on the launchpad, generating a massive fireball and halting flights. The failure raises concerns over the availability of New Glenn for scheduled satellite missions.
2. Deutsche Bank Downgrade and Share Impact
Deutsche Bank cut AST SpaceMobile to Hold from Buy and set a $106 price target, citing launch access risks after the New Glenn failure. Shares plunged 18.5% in early trading as investors reacted to the downgrade and potential schedule delays.
3. Launch Bottlenecks and Constellation Goals
AST SpaceMobile aims to deploy 45 satellites by year-end 2026 but had modeled four New Glenn launches for this year. With New Glenn offline for months, the constellation buildout may rely more heavily on SpaceX Falcon 9 and other providers, raising execution risk.
