AST SpaceMobile Shares Rise After SpaceX Launches BlueBirds

AST SpaceMobile launched three Block 2 BlueBird satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:39 a.m. EDT Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The deployment carried BlueBird 8, 9 and 10 into low Earth orbit and brought the company’s in-orbit fleet to nine satellites. AST SpaceMobile shares climbed about 4% in trading after the launch; SpaceX shares edged lower.

Each new satellite carries an antenna array of roughly 2,400 square feet, AST said, among the largest commercial communications arrays placed into low Earth orbit. The company stated the Block 2 spacecraft are designed to deliver peak download speeds approaching 200 megabits per second to unmodified 4G and 5G smartphones, compared with about 98.9 Mbps for the first-generation Block 1 satellites.

AST officials warned that full confirmation the spacecraft have unfolded and are operating correctly could take several weeks. The mission follows the loss of a prior AST payload earlier this year after a failed Blue Origin New Glenn flight.

AST said BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 are being prepared for shipment to Cape Canaveral for upcoming launches. The company added that next-generation satellites through BlueBird 37 are in production and assembly at its Midland, Texas, facilities.

AST operates more than 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and operations facilities worldwide and employs over 2,250 people. The company holds more than 3,900 patents and patent-pending claims and has commercial agreements with nearly 60 mobile network operators representing more than 3 billion subscribers, including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten, Google, Bell, Telus, the stc Group and American Tower.

SpaceX provided the Falcon 9 launch while also competing with AST in the direct-to-device market. SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile is targeting commercial availability by the end of next year. AST continues to use commercial launch providers as it expands its constellation.

Founder, chairman and CEO Abel Avellan described the launch as “the continued execution of a vision once considered impossible: space-based cellular broadband to everyone, everywhere.” Company officials said they will monitor the new satellites’ deployment and performance over the coming weeks before expanding to broader commercial service.