AST Expects to Launch Satellites Every 1-2 Months Through 2026
AST SpaceMobile, which currently has five satellites in orbit, wrote Tuesday on X that its sixth BlueBird satellite is assembled and being shipped to India for launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation. BlueBird 7 is also expected to ship to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station launch site in Florida later this month, it said, and BlueBirds 8-16 "are in various stages of production, with launches planned every 1-2 months on average during 2025 and 2026."
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In addition, AST said it's on schedule to complete 40 phased array antennas by early 2026, and it expects 45-60 satellites in orbit by year-end 2026. The BlueBirds will be the largest commercial satellites ever deployed in low earth orbit, each with a 2,400-square-foot phased array antenna, capable of peak direct-to-device speeds of 120 Mbps for every handset.
The India launch had been delayed for several months, so the AST update indicates that launches and satellite construction are moving forward, William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma noted Wednesday. He said AST reaching 45-60 satellites in orbit would allow for continuous broadband coverage for its core markets in the U.S., Europe and Japan. T-Mobile's heavy promotion of its T-Satellite services with SpaceX (see 2510010015) suggests that there will be solid demand for direct-to-device service from the AT&T and Verizon customer bases, DiPalma said. He added that launch delays could cause AST's mobile partners to use multiple satellite providers.