Blue Origin uses a recycled rocket to launch satellite for AST SpaceMobile

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture used a previously flown New Glenn rocket booster to send a satellite into orbit today, taking its competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to new heights.

And after it aced its second launch, the first-stage booster — nicknamed “Never Tell Me the Odds” — made yet another successful touchdown on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

The rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:25 a.m. ET (4:25 a.m. PT), sending AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 telecom satellite into low Earth orbit.

The twice-used booster made its first flight last November when it launched NASA’s Escapade probes on a mission to Mars. Blue Origin’s Florida team recovered and refurbished the booster for today’s launch.

Blue Origin executed the same maneuver today. The webcast showed the booster settling down to a touchdown on the landing craft, which was christened Jacklyn as a tribute to Bezos’ mother. Team members could be heard cheering at Mission Control in Florida, at the company’s headquarters in Kent, Wash., and at other outposts in Texas and Alabama.

“Welcome back once again, Never Tell Me the Odds,” launch commentator Tabitha Lipkin said. “It’s good to say that twice.”

This was the third launch for Blue Origin’s orbital-class New Glenn rocket. The first liftoff in January 2025 sent a payload into orbit to test the communication and control systems for Blue Origin’s Blue Ring space mobility platform. Blue Origin tried to recover the booster that was used for that mission, nicknamed “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” but the booster missed its chance and couldn’t be saved.

After today’s successful booster touchdown, the focus shifted to the mission’s primary objective: deploying BlueBird 7 from the rocket’s second stage in low Earth orbit. That was due to take place an hour and 15 minutes after liftoff.

If all goes well, BlueBird 7 is destined to join six other satellites in Texas-based AST SpaceMobile’s constellation. The BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver cellular broadband connectivity directly from space to standard smartphones.

AST SpaceMobile aims to have up to 60 satellites in its constellation by the end of 2026. The company is aiming to start providing commercial satellite service in partnership with AT&T and Verizon later this year.

Direct-to-device connectivity is shaping up as a fast-moving frontier for satellite broadband services. SpaceX was the first to enter the fray: It struck a D2D deal with T-Mobile in 2022 and is ramping up its Starlink satellite network to accommodate the needs of cellular subscribers.

Last week, Amazon announced that it will acquire Globalstar, a Louisiana-based satellite operator, and will partner with Apple to beef up D2D services. That deal is expected to give a boost to the Amazon Leo satellite broadband network, a Starlink competitor that’s due to begin commercial service this year.

Rocket reusability is another technological realm where SpaceX has long been a leader but is now facing heightened competition. The ability to recover and reuse rocket boosters plays a huge part in SpaceX’s strategy to drive down launch costs — and today’s launch demonstrated that Blue Origin is able to leverage rocket reusability as well.