AST SpaceMobile Eyes June Launch of Three BlueBirds After Satellite Loss

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.  

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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. 

(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. 

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.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

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Experience

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

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