Episode
Anpanman - Space is Hard: Analyzing the New Glenn 3 Anomaly and Bluebird 7 Loss
- Podcast
- AST SpaceMobile Podcast
- Published
- Apr 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3498
- Processing state
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Summary
This episode provides a deep dive into the emotional and technical fallout from the Blue Origin New Glenn 3 mission. While the flight demonstrated a successful booster landing, the second stage failed to complete its second burn, leaving AST SpaceMobile's Bluebird 7 (FM2) in a non-sustainable elliptical orbit. The discussion covers the technical mechanics of the failure and the reality that space remains a high-stakes, low-margin environment where even the most anticipated launches can face setbacks. Significant attention is paid to the resilience of the AST SpaceMobile government business. Because Bluebird 6 is already operating nominally in orbit, Bluebird 7 was effectively a backup. The loss is not considered material to the company's work with the Space Force (SDA), and insights from government lead Michael Pollock indicate a robust pipeline of future defense projects that continue to move forward despite this anomaly. Production updates and guidance changes are also analyzed. The first batch of Block 1 satellites is now expected to ship in approximately 30 days, placing the timeline in mid-May. While this represents a two to three-week slip, the episode explores how the team at the SATCOM Center continues to iterate through production challenges, with composite components for later satellites already arriving for integration. Financial mitigations are a key highlight, specifically the strategic insurance policy placed on FM2. The satellite was insured for more than its build cost, allowing AST SpaceMobile to recover capital that can be reinvested into the constellation. Furthermore, the episode explains the industry standard of launch credits, which will likely grant the company a future flight on a more mature New Glenn vehicle. Finally, the episode reflects on t…