Firefly Aerospace

AST SpaceMobile races to build a phone network in space

Supplying engines for AST's Blacklift rocket under a $1.3 billion deal

AST SpaceMobile has 13 of its large BlueBird satellites in orbit and says it expects initial, intermittent coverage in the United States, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Britain by the end of 2026. The Texas company now aims to have about 45 satellites in orbit by mid-2027, later than its earlier target of the end of this year.

Updated 10 hours ago

Building a permanent U.S. presence on the Moon

Built World

As of May 2026: Selected to deliver first drones to the lunar surface

NASA awarded $627 million on May 27 to four U.S. companies for the first hardware of a permanent moon base. The contracts cover rovers, crewed terrain vehicles, and drones meant to land on the Moon before astronauts arrive.

Updated May 27

First radio telescope heads to Moon's far side

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Building and operating the Blue Ghost 2 lander

The cosmic Dark Ages were a 200-million-year stretch after the Big Bang — just hydrogen gas, no stars. No instrument has ever detected light from this period: Earth's atmosphere blocks the radio frequencies, and human electronics drown out the faint signals.

Updated May 23

Firefly Aerospace

Stories

AST SpaceMobile races to build a phone network in space

Building a permanent U.S. presence on the Moon

First radio telescope heads to Moon's far side