AST SpaceMobile Inc. launched three next-generation BlueBird satellites early Wednesday from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The deployment quadruples the company's next-gen satellite count to four, advancing its space-based cellular broadband network designed for direct-to-smartphone connectivity.
AST SpaceMobile Inc. launched three next-generation BlueBird satellites early Wednesday from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The deployment quadruples the company's next-gen satellite count to four, advancing its space-based cellular broadband network designed for direct-to-smartphone connectivity.
AST SpaceMobile Inc. launched three next-generation BlueBird satellites early Wednesday, quadrupling its direct-to-cell broadband constellation in low Earth orbit.
"Each BlueBird satellite launched expands our ability to support seamless space-based broadband mobile connectivity directly to everyday smartphones," Scott Wisniewski, president of AST SpaceMobile, said.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:39 a.m. EDT. The first stage landed on the drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" about 8.5 minutes later — its 29th launch and landing, according to SpaceX. The upper stage deployed BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 over a 10.5-minute span starting about 54.5 minutes after launch. The next-generation satellites feature antennas covering nearly 2,400 square feet when unfurled, the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed in space, the company said. That compares with 693 square feet for the original BlueBird spacecraft.
The launch brings AST SpaceMobile's total next-gen satellite count to four, after BlueBird 6 reached orbit successfully in December 2025 aboard an Indian LVM3 rocket. BlueBird 7 was lost in April after Blue Origin's New Glenn suffered an anomaly and deployed it in the wrong orbit. The expanded constellation moves the Texas-based company closer to commercial service for its space-based cellular broadband network, which is designed to connect directly to standard smartphones without specialized hardware.
Barclays trimmed its price target on AST SpaceMobile to $60 from $65 on June 8, maintaining an Underweight rating, citing launch delays and recent results. Wall Street currently rates the stock a Hold with average upside potential of about 5%, according to TipRanks data.
The successful deployment strengthens AST SpaceMobile's path toward generating revenue from direct-to-device broadband services. The company's next catalyst will be the integration and testing of the newly launched satellites ahead of commercial service activation.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
