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Blue Origin's New Glenn put a customer satellite in the wrong orbit during its third launch
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Lee Duna lemmy.nz throws_lemy@lemmy.nz
Joined: 2023-06-30
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139   Original
StillAlive piefed.world StillAlive@piefed.world
Joined: 2025-11-09
#2 · Quote Reply

Lol

Lmao

Amazon delivery sucks even in SPAAAAAAAACE

48
Admetus sopuli.xyz Admetus@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2023-06-07
#3 · Quote Reply

Capitalist Vs state owned? Or just way too fresh to the field? NASA had catastrophes seemingly owing to pressure, just as these companies are operating under.

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halfapage lemmy.world halfapage@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-20
#4 · Quote Reply

[deleted]
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hayvan piefed.world hayvan@piefed.world
Joined: 2025-12-06
#5 · Quote Reply

Calling it "wrong orbit" is misleading (albeit in a hilarious way). They failed to reach the target altitude/velocity and released the satellite into a useless orbit. It's the same as dropping a package into a ditch and calling it "delivered to the wrong location". Technically correct but not really what it means.

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RamenJunkie midwest.social RamenJunkie@midwest.social
Joined: 2025-01-24
#6 · Quote Reply

Look, maybe "Its not rocket scence" didn't quite have the implication that was implied ok?

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SaveTheTuaHawk lemmy.ca SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-03-07
#7 · Quote Reply

Surprise...from the same company that delivered my package to the wrong city last month.

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Onno (VK6FLAB) lemmy.radio vk6flab@lemmy.radio
Joined: 2024-03-04
#8 · Quote Reply

Stupid shit like this is more common than you might realise.

A commercial geostationary satellite launched to cover Australia and New Zealand had its dishes installed incorrectly, causing spot footprints to cover the two countries to be incorrectly aligned.

As a result a whole lot of satellite dishes on the ground had to be adjusted to "fix" the problem.

Source: I had a ground station that was affected.

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AeronMelon lemmy.world aeronmelon@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-12-26
#9 · Quote Reply

“Your package has been delivered.”

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finallymadeanaccount lemmy.world finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-12-31
#10 · Quote Reply

Calling it "wrong orbit" is misleading (albeit in a hilarious way). They failed to reach the target altitude/velocity and released the satellite into a useless orbit. It's the same as dropping a package into a ditch and calling it "delivered to the wrong location". Technically correct but not really what it means.

So ... like an Amazon delivery?

10
SpaceNoodle lemmy.world SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-14
#11 · Quote Reply

Calling it "wrong orbit" is misleading (albeit in a hilarious way). They failed to reach the target altitude/velocity and released the satellite into a useless orbit. It's the same as dropping a package into a ditch and calling it "delivered to the wrong location". Technically correct but not really what it means.

So it's in an orbit, but not the correct one?

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Confused_Emus lemmy.dbzer0.com Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-07-19
#12 · Quote Reply

Calling it "wrong orbit" is misleading (albeit in a hilarious way). They failed to reach the target altitude/velocity and released the satellite into a useless orbit. It's the same as dropping a package into a ditch and calling it "delivered to the wrong location". Technically correct but not really what it means.

Useless orbit, wrong orbit, 6 of one, half o’ dozen of the other.

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hayvan piefed.world hayvan@piefed.world
Joined: 2025-12-06
#13 · Quote Reply

So it's in an orbit, but not the correct one?

Yes in an orbit the same way anything in free fall is in orbit. Throw a pebble and it will orbit Earth for a couple of seconds max.

-1
tal lemmy.today tal@lemmy.today
Joined: 2023-10-04
#14 · Quote Reply

Yes in an orbit the same way anything in free fall is in orbit. Throw a pebble and it will orbit Earth for a couple of seconds max.

You need to have a non-intersecting loop around Earth to be in orbit. Anything you throw that doesn't apply some kind of additional thrust won't be in orbit, as its path will necessarily intersect Earth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-orbital_spaceflight

A sub-orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which the vehicle reaches outer space, but its trajectory intersects the surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched. Hence, it will not complete one orbital revolution, will not become an artificial satellite nor will it reach escape velocity.

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CookieOfFortune lemmy.world CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#15 · Quote Reply

[deleted]

What would they gain from that? Insurance won’t cover lost income from a dysfunctional satellite. Also pretty sure if you could get insurance it’d be extremely expensive for a launch on an unproven rocket.

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bitjunkie lemmy.world bitjunkie@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-06-19
#16 · Quote Reply

One of the richest men ever thinks he's going to be the king of Mars one day and this is the absolute air ball he puts up. Fucking clown show timeline strikes again.

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supersquirrel sopuli.xyz supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2023-12-09
#17 · Quote Reply

Wrong community please post to Spacey@Mander.xyz

-2
Nighed feddit.uk Nighed@feddit.uk
Joined: 2024-01-13
#18 · Quote Reply

What would they gain from that? Insurance won’t cover lost income from a dysfunctional satellite. Also pretty sure if you could get insurance it’d be extremely expensive for a launch on an unproven rocket.

Space insurance exists.

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Rivalarrival lemmy.today Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
Joined: 2023-06-11
#19 · Quote Reply

Surprise...from the same company that delivered my package to the wrong city last month.

Used to deliver. Two small, neighboring cities have a lot of their major streets named the same: chestnut, maple, things like that. Completely different streets, they never came anywhere close to each other. One city used three digit house numbers, the other used four digit numbers.

Very often, I would get sent to places 1234 Maple in Threeland, or 567 Chestnut in Fourville. Addresses that I knew didn't exist, but the app would still place a pin and expect me to be there.

After a few confusing attempts, I learned that if I tried to deliver to the intended address, I'd get a violation. If I just "delivered" to the GPS pin, I'd get paid.

Got so much free food...

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BarneyPiccolo lemmy.today BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-30
#20 · Quote Reply

Imagine how much more he could have paid his employees, instead of just burning it up on a rocket failure.

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CookieOfFortune lemmy.world CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#21 · Quote Reply

Space insurance exists.

And how does it work?

0
ironhydroxide sh.itjust.works ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-11-27
#22 · Quote Reply

And how does it work?

First you find someone willing to bet with you that your space thing won't do things it isn't supposed to do.

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CookieOfFortune lemmy.world CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#23 · Quote Reply

First you find someone willing to bet with you that your space thing won't do things it isn't supposed to do.

Why would anyone take that bet?

0
athatet lemmy.zip athatet@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-09-12
#24 · Quote Reply

Why would anyone take that bet?

Because it’s profitable? I typed “space insurance” into google and it gave me webpages for companies who offer space insurance.

Why would you think that it wouldn’t be a thing?

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athatet lemmy.zip athatet@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-09-12
#25 · Quote Reply

Wrong community please post to Spacey@Mander.xyz

You can’t talk about things happening in space in the space comm?

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supersquirrel sopuli.xyz supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2023-12-09
#26 · Quote Reply

You can’t talk about things happening in space in the space comm?

It was a joke!

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Nighed feddit.uk Nighed@feddit.uk
Joined: 2024-01-13
#27 · Quote Reply

And how does it work?

It's a numbers game on rocket reliability. You pay slightly more for your launch, but if it goes bang, you get a big cheque from the insurance.

For the known launchers, their reliability is pretty known, and newer (or recently exploded) launchers often give cheap/free launches while they are effectively testing things - helps make up for the pricy insurance.

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CookieOfFortune lemmy.world CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#28 · Quote Reply

Because it’s profitable? I typed “space insurance” into google and it gave me webpages for companies who offer space insurance. Why would you think that it wouldn’t be a thing?

I didn’t say it’s not a thing. I’m saying what would be the point of using it for fraud? You don’t make money from a failed launch.

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burble lemmy.dbzer0.com burble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2023-06-28
#29 · (edited) Quote Reply

Surprise...from the same company that delivered my package to the wrong city last month.

FWIW Blue Origin and Amazon are not the same, despite the Bezos connection. Blue does have a contract to launch a bunch of Amazon satellites, but so does everyone else with a working rocket (and some without).

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Malyca lemmy.zip Malyca@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2026-04-13
#30 · Quote Reply

This is how we get back to the stone age

0
Scubus sh.itjust.works Scubus@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-07-07
#31 · Quote Reply

This is how we get back to the stone age

...from a misplaced amazon delivery?

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threelonmusketeers sh.itjust.works threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-10
#32 · Quote Reply

So it's in an orbit, but not the correct one?

So it’s in an orbit

Not anymore: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3mjxa7dorvs22

DEORBIT - Space Force just issued a decay notice for BlueBird 7, saying it reentered on Apr 20 (with no further details)

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SpaceNoodle lemmy.world SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-14
#33 · Quote Reply

So it’s in an orbit Not anymore: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3mjxa7dorvs22 DEORBIT - Space Force just issued a decay notice for BlueBird 7, saying it reentered on Apr 20 (with no further details)

Norbit

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#34 · Quote Reply

if you made your rocket to look like a large phallic appendage, something is bound to happen.

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mortemtyrannis lemmy.ml mortemtyrannis@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2023-10-21
#35 · Quote Reply

if you made your rocket to look like a large phallic appendage, something is bound to happen.

They are destined to have a cock up if you will.

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threelonmusketeers sh.itjust.works threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-10
#36 · Quote Reply

if you made your rocket to look like a large phallic appendage, something is bound to happen.

rocket to look like a large phallic appendage

Isn't that most rockets?

New Glenn, Falcon 9, Atlas V, Soyuz, Vega, most of the Long March vehicles... the list goes on.

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Cethin lemmy.zip Cethin@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2023-07-01
#37 · Quote Reply

Useless orbit, wrong orbit, 6 of one, half o’ dozen of the other.

The point is, it wasn't purposefully delivered there. Delivered to the wrong address imply some kind of intent, though a mistake. This is more "the driver got in an accident and the package ended up in the wrong place." There isn't an intent to where it was delivered. That's just where it ended up, because the rocket had a failure. It didn't make a mistake. It broke.

4
Cethin lemmy.zip Cethin@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2023-07-01
#38 · Quote Reply

Stupid shit like this is more common than you might realise. A commercial geostationary satellite launched to cover Australia and New Zealand had its dishes installed incorrectly, causing spot footprints to cover the two countries to be incorrectly aligned. As a result a whole lot of satellite dishes on the ground had to be adjusted to "fix" the problem. Source: I had a ground station that was ...

Not similar to this event though. This is a rocket failure that couldn't complete its mission. It wasn't "delivered to the wrong orbit" because it wasn't delivered. It was released into the wrong orbit because the rocket couldn't deliver it to its destination. The satellite is no longer in orbit I think.

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Cethin lemmy.zip Cethin@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2023-07-01
#39 · Quote Reply

Why would anyone take that bet?

That's literally what insurance is. They bet bad thing doesn't happen. If it does, they pay you. If it doesn't, they keep their money plus what you paid them.

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drosophila lemmy.blahaj.zone drosophila@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Joined: 2024-05-29
#40 · Quote Reply

Calling it "wrong orbit" is misleading (albeit in a hilarious way). They failed to reach the target altitude/velocity and released the satellite into a useless orbit. It's the same as dropping a package into a ditch and calling it "delivered to the wrong location". Technically correct but not really what it means.

8
SaveTheTuaHawk lemmy.ca SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-03-07
#41 · Quote Reply

FWIW Blue Origin and Amazon are not the same, despite the Bezos connection. Blue does have a contract to launch a bunch of Amazon satellites, but so does everyone else with a working rocket (and some without).

BO and SpaceX are predicated on the same idea, that NASA was inefficient because it was a government agency.

SpaceX efficiently littered trash on billions of taxpayer dollars all over the Gulf of America.

0
CookieOfFortune lemmy.world CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#42 · Quote Reply

That's literally what insurance is. They bet bad thing doesn't happen. If it does, they pay you. If it doesn't, they keep their money plus what you paid them.

Yeah but they calculate the odds before giving you a policy. And then charge you in a way that they’ll make money.

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Confused_Emus lemmy.dbzer0.com Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-07-19
#43 · Quote Reply

The point is, it wasn't purposefully delivered there. Delivered to the wrong address imply some kind of intent, though a mistake. This is more "the driver got in an accident and the package ended up in the wrong place." There isn't an intent to where it was delivered. That's just where it ended up, because the rocket had a failure. It didn't make a mistake. It broke.

That’s a fair distinction upon further reflection. Thanks.

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Infinite lemmy.zip Infinite@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2023-06-23
#44 · Quote Reply

Norbit

Orbin't

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Captain Aggravated sh.itjust.works captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-20
#45 · Quote Reply

This reminds me of none pizza with left beef.

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Swedneck discuss.tchncs.de Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
Joined: 2023-06-10
#46 · Quote Reply

So it’s in an orbit Not anymore: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3mjxa7dorvs22 DEORBIT - Space Force just issued a decay notice for BlueBird 7, saying it reentered on Apr 20 (with no further details)

i can't fucking believe we now have to read "space force" and take it seriously

1
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