Blue Origin’s New Glenn-3 Set to Launch AST SpaceMobile Satellite Friday Morning
By Space Coast Daily // April 14, 2026
Coverage of the launch can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Blue Origin announced that its next New Glenn mission, NG-3, will carry a next-generation communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile to low Earth orbit, with liftoff now targeted for no earlier than 6:45 a.m. Friday, April 17.
The launch is scheduled from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The NG-3 mission will deploy AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellite, part of the company’s planned space-based cellular broadband network.
The system is designed to allow mobile devices to connect directly to satellites, enabling seamless service as users transition between terrestrial cellular networks and space-based coverage.
According to AST SpaceMobile, the BlueBird network will support both commercial and government telecommunications applications, with a goal of delivering broadband connectivity anytime, anywhere.
AST SpaceMobile selected New Glenn for its launch campaign in November 2024 as part of its broader deployment strategy.
The upcoming mission follows the successful NG-2 flight, which included the landing of the reusable booster dubbed “Never Tell Me The Odds.”
Blue Origin officials said that same booster is being refurbished and is expected to power the NG-3 mission.
New Glenn, Blue Origin’s heavy-lift orbital rocket, is designed for reusability, with its first stage intended to land on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean for future flights.
The NG-3 launch marks another step forward for both companies as they work to expand global connectivity and advance reusable launch capabilities from Florida’s Space Coast.
