Blue Origin is targeting late February for the third launch of its New Glenn mega-rocket. The rocket will carry a satellite to low-Earth orbit for AST SpaceMobile, marking the second time that Jeff Bezos' space company has flown a commercial payload with New Glenn.

The company did not immediately explain why it chose to launch the AST SpaceMobile satellite instead of its own robotic lunar lander, Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1). The lander is currently being shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas for vacuum chamber testing. A launch date for the Blue Moon MK1 mission has not been set.

New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle designed to carry both people and payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. Its development has been a long-term project for Blue Origin, spanning over a decade. The rocket is designed to be reusable, with the first stage booster intended to return to Earth for a controlled landing, similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9. This reusability is intended to lower the cost of space access.

The upcoming launch for AST SpaceMobile is significant as it demonstrates New Glenn's capability to deploy commercial satellites. AST SpaceMobile is building a space-based cellular broadband network designed to provide connectivity to standard mobile phones around the world. Launching their satellite on New Glenn is a crucial step in deploying this network.

The late February launch window comes during a busy month for spaceflight. NASA may launch its Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts to orbit the moon, as early as February 6. SpaceX is expected to begin testing the third version of its Starship rocket, a fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle. NASA and SpaceX also plan to launch the Crew-12 mission, which will help bring the International Space Station back up to full staff after the Crew-11 team was medically evacuated.

The New Glenn launch represents a continued push by Blue Origin to become a major player in the commercial space launch market. While the company's lunar lander program is delayed, the successful deployment of commercial payloads like the AST SpaceMobile satellite is a key step in establishing New Glenn as a reliable and capable launch platform. The company's progress will be closely watched by the industry as it competes with SpaceX and other launch providers for a share of the growing space economy.