AST SpaceMobile: “No impact from New Glenn explosion”
June 4, 2026
By Chris Forrester
Would-be global cellular-from-space operator AST SpaceMobile says the massive explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will not impact its launch plans in the short term.
AST stated that none of its missions planned for the next few months are scheduled with Blue Origin. Its BlueBird #8–#10 satellites are currently planned to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
AST confirmed its satellites are launcher-agnostic and the company has agreements with multiple launch providers besides Blue Origin including Arianespace and SpaceX and as well as Blue Origin AST has used an Indian rocket. AST is reportedly actively considering United Launch Alliance (ULA) and its Vulcan Centaur rocket to expand the launch capacity for its direct-to-device satellite constellation. This strategic option comes as AST seeks alternatives to diversify its launch.
In April, AST’s BlueBird 7 satellite was launched on Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle, but the satellite was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit and has now been deorbited.
Nevertheless, Blue Origin’s blast is inevitably expected to push back Amazon Leo launches – although AST SpaceMobile says near-term launches are unaffected by the explosion. The explosion adds to an already tight launch bottleneck in the LEO launch market.
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