Trending Now - AST Spacemobile Shares Plummet After Blue Origin Launch Failure

WHO:

Fast Company - AST SpaceMobile Inc. is a space-based internet provider.

Fast Company - Blue Origin is a space company founded by Jeff Bezos.

Fast Company - The New Glenn rocket is Blue Origin's flagship rocket.

Fast Company - Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX.

WHAT:

Fast Company - AST SpaceMobile's stock price dropped nearly 15% in premarket trading to $72.75 after the failed satellite deployment.

Fast Company - The New Glenn rocket successfully launched but failed to place the BlueBird 7 satellite in the correct orbit.

Fast Company - The BlueBird 7 satellite will be de-orbited due to being placed in an incorrect orbit.

Fast Company - AST SpaceMobile plans to launch BlueBird satellites 8 to 10 within the next 30 days.

Fast Company - AST SpaceMobile aims to have approximately 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026.

WHERE:

Fast Company - The New Glenn rocket launch occurred from a Blue Origin launch facility.

WHEN:

Fast Company - The New Glenn rocket was launched on Sunday, April 19th, 2026.

Fast Company - AST SpaceMobile's stock had seen an 18% increase year to date as of April 15th, 2026.

Fast Company - Over the past 12 months, AST SpaceMobile's shares surged more than 265%.

WHY:

Fast Company - The incorrect orbit placement of the BlueBird 7 satellite was due to an issue with the upper stage of the New Glenn rocket.

Fast Company - Blue Origin aimed to improve its reputation in the space industry with the successful launch of the New Glenn rocket.

HOW:

Fast Company - The New Glenn rocket is a partially reusable heavy-lift rocket designed to deliver payloads into space.

Fast Company - The BlueBird 7 satellite is part of a constellation being built by AST SpaceMobile to deliver broadband internet to smartphones on Earth.

(UPDATED April 20, 2026 13:21 UTC)

AST SpaceMobile's stock price dropped nearly 15% to $72.75 in premarket trading following the failed deployment of the BlueBird 7 satellite, which was launched aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket on Sunday. While the New Glenn rocket successfully lifted off, it failed to place the satellite in the correct orbit due to an issue with its upper stage, leading to the decision to de-orbit BlueBird 7. Despite this setback, AST SpaceMobile plans to launch satellites 8 to 10 within the next 30 days and aims to have around 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026.