Blue Origin's Third New Glenn Launch Targets Late February with AST SpaceMobile Satellite, Pivoting from Lunar Mission

Blue Origin's third New Glenn rocket (NG-3) is scheduled to launch in late February 2026, but its payload has been changed from its original lunar ambitions. Instead of the company's Blue Moon lander, the heavy-lift rocket will carry the BlueBird 7 satellite for AST SpaceMobile, a company developing a space-based cellular broadband network. The launch is slated to take place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

This marks a significant strategy shift for Blue Origin, moving from an internal technology demonstration to a commercial customer mission for New Glenn's third flight. The rocket is a key competitor to ULA's Vulcan and SpaceX's Falcon family, and demonstrating a regular launch cadence is crucial for securing future government and commercial contracts. The previously planned mission was to send the Mark 1 robotic lander to the Moon, a foundational step for the company's lunar program.