Satellite Operator: AST Claims About 430-440 MHz Use Are 'Demonstrably' Wrong
AST SpaceMobile's nonconforming commercial use of the 430-440 MHz band could cause long-term harm to amateur radio service and the amateur satellite community, German aerospace company Amsat-Deutschland (AD) said in a docket 25-201 filing posted Friday. AST's dismissive attitude about "genuine technical and regulatory concerns" raised by legions of concerned parties "undermines confidence in AST’s respect for public process and stakeholder input."
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AD said AST's claims that its BlueBird satellites aren't transmitting in the 430-440 MHz band are "demonstrably incorrect." BlueBirds 1, 4 and 5, launched in September, operated there for three months post-launch, while BlueBird 2 operated in the band for two weeks and BlueBird 3 for five months, it said. All the satellites transmitted globally and continuously, not just during launch and early-orbit phases or in emergencies, the company added. BlueBird 3 shutting down use of the spectrum after a wave of formal objections "suggests AST terminated these transmissions in reaction to public pressure, not technical need."
AD also said AST has yet to explain why it originally planned to use 400-401 MHz for telemetry, tracking and control before opting instead for 430-440 MHz. AST's plans for 430-440 MHz use have seen sizable pushback from the ham radio community internationally (see 2507210031).