On April 20, 2026, AST SpaceMobile announced that its BlueBird 7 satellite did not achieve its designated orbital position following a launch attempt earlier in the day. The satellite was carried by Blue Origin’s New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle, marking one of the first commercial missions for the rocket. Telemetry data indicated a second-stage anomaly during the final burn sequence, resulting in the satellite being deployed into a significantly lower-than-planned altitude.
The BlueBird 7 is part of AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 constellation, designed to provide direct-to-cell 5G connectivity. These satellites feature approximately 2,400 square feet of phased-array antennas, the largest ever deployed commercially in low Earth orbit. According to technical specifications released by the company, the intended circular orbit was approximately 530 kilometers. Initial tracking data from the U.S. Space Command suggests the craft is currently in an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 150 kilometers, which is insufficient for sustained operations due to atmospheric drag.
In a statement issued shortly after the anomaly was confirmed, AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan stated that the company’s engineering team is currently assessing the health of the satellite and investigating whether onboard propulsion systems can be used to raise the orbit. However, Avellan noted that the current trajectory poses significant challenges for mission recovery. Blue Origin also released a brief statement confirming the second-stage performance issue and announced the formation of a joint investigation team with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to determine the root cause of the failure.
This mission was intended to be a critical step in AST SpaceMobile’s goal of achieving continuous nationwide coverage in the United States. The company had previously successfully deployed its first five commercial BlueBird satellites in September 2024. The loss or degradation of BlueBird 7 is expected to impact the timeline for the company’s planned commercial service launch, which requires a minimum of 45 to 60 satellites for global coverage. AST SpaceMobile currently has several other Block 2 satellites in various stages of production at its Midland, Texas, facility.
Following the news of the orbital insertion failure, AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) shares experienced a sharp decline in midday trading. The stock fell 18.4% to $14.22 by 2:00 PM ET, reflecting the immediate technical uncertainty surrounding the Block 2 deployment schedule. Trading volume was significantly higher than the 30-day average, with over 15 million shares changing hands within the first three hours of the announcement.