AST SpaceMobile

New Capabilities

BlueBird 7 declared total loss; ~$30M insurance recovery expected; ASTS shares fell >5%, erasing ~$2B market cap; reaffirmed 45-satellite 2026 target; BlueBirds 8–10 in production

Blue Origin flew a previously used New Glenn rocket booster for the first time on April 19, 2026, becoming only the second company ever to reuse an orbital-class rocket stage. The booster, named 'Never Tell Me the Odds,' first flew in November 2025 and landed successfully again on the drone ship Jacklyn roughly ten minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. But the milestone was immediately overshadowed: one engine on the rocket's expendable upper stage did not produce enough thrust during its second burn, leaving AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite stranded in an orbit far too low for the satellite's own electric thrusters to correct.

Updated Apr 21