AST SpaceMobile Eyes June Launch of Three BlueBirds After Satellite Loss

Gaby Souza0
AST SpaceMobile Eyes June Launch of Three BlueBirds After Satellite Loss
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AST SpaceMobile, a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile, will try to make up for last month’s botched satellite deployment by sending up three “BlueBirds” in mid-June. 

The company will skip using Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which accidentally placed AST’s BlueBird 7 satellite in an orbit too low to sustain operations, causing it to descend and burn up in the atmosphere.  

In a bit of irony, AST will use SpaceX’s proven Falcon 9 rocket to send up three BlueBirds sometime next month, the company said in Wednesday’s announcement. The post includes a video that apparently shows the satellites being packed at AST’s Texas manufacturing facility for shipment to the launch pad. 

AST added it had “32 next-generation satellites at advanced stages of assembly to be ready for launch,” when the company has been racing to kick off high-speed satellite internet for phones by the end of this year. 

How it’ll fly up the other satellites was left unclear. For now, AST merely noted: “Network deployment with a launch every one to two months on average.”

AST previously used a Falcon 9 to successfully fly up five first-generation BlueBirds back in 2024. Since then, the company has developed a second-gen BlueBird that’s about three times larger, boasting a more powerful antenna capable of 120Mbps per cell. The initial second-gen BlueBird, also known as BlueBird 6, launched in December, using a rocket from India’s national space agency. 

The sats

(AST)

Meanwhile, BB7 was lost in last month’s botched flight, a major setback considering AST was planning on using New Glenn to carry up to eight BlueBirds in future flights. It also doesn’t help that AST previously aimed for “four more orbital launches by the end of Q1 2026,” when none actually occurred. 

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That’s a problem considering AST is trying to catch up to SpaceX in offering satellite connectivity to smartphones, giving them a way to remain connected in cellular dead zones. Starlink Mobile has already been offering services through T-Mobile and a growing number of carrier partners using a collection of over 650 satellites. The cellular Starlink service can not only power messaging, but also select mobile apps and video calling, although the download speeds have been estimated to be at 4Mbps. 

In contrast, AST only has seven satellites in orbit, including the company’s BlueWalker 3 test vehicle. The company has said it needs 45 to 60 satellites to offer continuous coverage over the US and other markets. In March, AST’s President Scott Wisniewski also told PCMag the plan was to fly up the required satellites by the end of this year, enabling its key partners in AT&T and Verizon to kick off actual services to customers. 

AST now faces the daunting task of launching 38 satellites in less than seven months. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company pushes back its timeline. AST has previously noted it can achieve “noncontinuous” service in the select markets using only 25 BlueBird satellites. AST will likely share more about its launch plans during an earnings call next Monday on May 11th.

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