After an investigation into its previous flight mishap, Blue Origin has received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed with its New Glenn rocket launch preparations. The FAA had previously grounded New Glenn following its third mission, during which the rocket failed to place the AST SpaceMobile satellite into the correct orbit.
The FAA's investigation determined that a cryogenic leak caused a hydraulic line to freeze, leading to thrust issues during the rocket's second-stage engine burn. In response to this, Blue Origin implemented nine corrective actions aimed at preventing similar problems in future launches. The aerospace company announced via X that preparations for the next mission, referred to as NG-4, are underway, promising updates soon.
In its prior mission, Blue Origin successfully reused the first-stage booster but encountered difficulties when the satellite was placed into an "off-nominal orbit." This resulted in the satellite's operational altitude being too low, ultimately leading to its de-orbit. Blue Origin's CEO, Dave Limp, noted that early data indicated insufficient thrust from one of the BE-3U engines during the flight.