Abel Avellan

Stories

AST SpaceMobile races to build a phone network in space

Leading the buildout; AST targets initial, intermittent coverage by the end of 2026.

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

AST SpaceMobile builds its BlueBird satellite phone network

Built World

As of August 2026: Leading the constellation buildout toward commercial service

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:42 a.m. on August 5, carrying three of the largest commercial antennas ever flown. Each one is meant to do a strange thing: give an ordinary smartphone a signal with no cell tower for hundreds of miles.

Updated Aug 9

Blue Origin proves New Glenn booster reuse, enters the reusable heavy-lift race

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Scaling BlueBird constellation toward global coverage

Blue Origin flew a previously used New Glenn booster for the first time on April 19, 2026, becoming the second company ever to reuse an orbital-class rocket stage. The booster, 'Never Tell Me the Odds,' first flew in November 2025 and landed successfully again on the drone ship Jacklyn roughly ten minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. One engine on the expendable upper stage didn't produce enough thrust during its second burn, leaving AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 stranded in an orbit too low for the satellite's electric thrusters to correct.

Updated May 31

Notable Quotes

Avellan has described the goal as ending mobile dead zones by treating space as one giant cell tower.

from AST SpaceMobile races to build a phone network in space · Updated 10 hours ago

We are the only company capable of delivering 4G and 5G and in the future, 6G broadband speed sufficient for voice calls, voice over LTE, live video calls, streaming, and full Internet access directly to unmodified devices.

from Blue Origin proves New Glenn booster reuse, enters the reusable heavy-lift race · Updated May 31

We remain on track to achieve our target of deploying 45 to 60 satellites into low Earth orbit by the end of this year — March 2026 earnings call

from Blue Origin proves New Glenn booster reuse, enters the reusable heavy-lift race · Updated May 31