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AST SpaceMobile races to build a phone network in space

AST SpaceMobile races to build a phone network in space

New Capabilities

A Texas company is launching satellites that beam cellular signal straight to ordinary smartphones. Regulators have cleared a 248-satellite constellation, and AST now targets early coverage by the end of 2026.

Yesterday: Firefly and AST sign $1.3 billion rocket-engine deal

Overview

Updated 9 hours ago

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.

On November 9, AST reported third-quarter revenue of $42.3 million and said its factories would reach a monthly production pace in December. It also said it is building a 20-ton rocket called Blacklift to carry up to five BlueBirds per launch from late 2028, and signed a $1.3 billion engine deal with Firefly Aerospace. AT&T and AST said in November that they had moved a live phone call from a cell tower to a satellite without dropping it, a step toward carrier trials in early 2027.

Why it matters

A working space network would give ordinary phones a signal in dead zones, but AST must launch dozens more satellites first.

Questions about this story

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would cloud cover be an issue?

Cloud cover is not a meaningful obstacle — AST SpaceMobile uses standard cellular (LTE) frequencies that pass through clouds and rain with negligible loss.

This is a key advantage over traditional satellite internet services like Starlink's Ka-band, which can suffer significant rain fade.

4 details3 sources1 disagreement
  • AST's satellites operate in the same sub-3 GHz cellular bands used by terrestrial towers. At those frequencies, atmospheric water — clouds, rain, humidity — causes very little signal attenuation.
  • Rain fade is a real problem for high-frequency satellite systems (Ku-band at 12–18 GHz, Ka-band at 26–40 GHz), but the physics don't apply at cellular frequencies.
  • AST itself says its large phased arrays deliver enough signal strength to work through "any weather conditions" and even indoors — one wall in.
  • The tradeoff is that lower frequencies carry less bandwidth, which is why AST targets voice and basic data for unserved areas rather than competing with fiber-speed broadband.
AST SpaceMobile FAQ AST SpaceMobile – How it Works National Academies – Frequency & Weather Attenuation
Room for disagreement
  • AST's own claims about all-weather, through-wall performance come from its marketing materials and haven't been independently stress-tested across a full constellation at scale — actual coverage in heavy tropical downpours or dense urban multipath remains to be proven in live service.
0 AI answers with web search. May be wrong.

Would the phones need to be bigger or anything to connect with space?

No modification needed — your phone works exactly as-is, because AST SpaceMobile put the massive antenna in space instead of in your pocket.

This is the core engineering bet: build a satellite the size of a tennis court so the device on the ground can stay small and cheap.

4 details1 source1 disagreement
  • Each BlueBird satellite carries an antenna array of about 2,400 square feet — enormous by design, because a bigger array can catch the faint signal a standard phone emits.
  • The service uses existing 4G and 5G cellular frequencies, so phones connect the same way they would to a ground tower — no new radio hardware required.
  • Traditional satellite phones (Iridium, older Globalstar) needed bulky specialized handsets precisely because their satellites were smaller; AST inverted that trade-off.
  • AST's BlueWalker 3 prototype completed voice and data calls with unmodified smartphones in 2023, proving the concept before the commercial BlueBird fleet launched.
Wikipedia — AST SpaceMobile
Room for disagreement
  • Early direct-to-cell services from both AST and Starlink launched with limited speeds or text-only capability — skeptics argue 'unmodified phone' overstates usability when throughput is far below what a ground tower delivers, at least until more satellites are in orbit.
0 AI answers with web search. May be wrong.

Key Indicators

248
Satellites cleared
The full constellation the Federal Communications Commission authorized in April 2026.
13
BlueBirds in orbit
Satellites in operation as of November 2026, according to AST.
2,400 sq ft
Array size each
Roughly triple the antenna area of the company's first BlueBird satellites.
45
Target for mid-2027
Satellites AST now aims to have in orbit by mid-2027, later than its earlier end-2026 goal.

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People Involved

Abel Avellan
Abel Avellan
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive of AST SpaceMobile
Leading the buildout; AST targets initial, intermittent coverage by the end of 2026.

Organizations Involved

AST SpaceMobile
AST SpaceMobile
Satellite telecommunications company
Has 13 BlueBirds in orbit; targets initial coverage by end-2026 and 45 satellites by mid-2027.

A Texas company building a satellite network that connects directly to everyday smartphones without extra hardware.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal agency
Cleared the constellation and the direct-to-cell service

The U.S. agency that licenses spectrum and decides who may operate satellites over American territory.
SpaceX
SpaceX
Launch provider
Both AST's launch provider and its rival

The rocket company that launched the BlueBirds and also runs a competing direct-to-cell service through Starlink.
AT
AT&T
Telecommunications company
Partner on AST's direct-to-cell service; completed a tower-to-satellite handoff test in October 2026

The U.S. carrier whose network and spectrum AST plans to use for direct-to-cell coverage.
Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace
Commercial Space Company
Supplying engines for AST's Blacklift rocket under a $1.3 billion deal

A Texas rocket and engine maker working with AST SpaceMobile on its planned Blacklift launch vehicle.

Timeline

January 2017 November 2026

11 events Latest: Yesterday Showing 8 of 11
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  1. Firefly and AST sign $1.3 billion rocket-engine deal

    Latest Business

    Firefly Aerospace signs a $1.3 billion deal to supply rocket engines for AST's Blacklift. Firefly says it will use the money to hire workers and expand launch vehicle production at its Rocket Ranch facility in Briggs, Texas.

  2. AST reports quarterly revenue and pushes 45-satellite target to mid-2027

    Business

    AST reports $42.3 million in third-quarter revenue and says it expects initial, intermittent coverage in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Britain by the end of 2026. It now targets about 45 BlueBirds in orbit by mid-2027, later than its earlier end-2026 goal.

  3. AST announces Blacklift rocket and launch agreements

    Business

    AST says it is building Blacklift, a 20-ton rocket meant to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch starting in late 2028. It says launch agreements now cover more than 100 BlueBirds between 2027 and 2028.

  4. AT&T and AST complete first tower-to-satellite handoff

    Milestone

    In a test outside Granite Falls, Washington, a live phone connection moves from an AT&T cell tower to an AST BlueBird satellite without dropping, the companies say. AT&T calls it the industry's first handoff between a ground network and a direct-to-device satellite network.

  5. BlueBird 11, 12, and 13 reach orbit

    Launch

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches three more next-generation BlueBird satellites, bringing the total in orbit to 13. AST says the spacecraft use a stackable design and roughly double the peak download speeds of earlier BlueBirds.

  6. Three largest direct-to-cell satellites launch

    Launch

    A Falcon 9 carries BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 from Cape Canaveral. Each array is about 2,400 square feet. AST says the satellites offer roughly double the peak download speeds of earlier BlueBirds.

  7. FCC clears the full constellation

    Regulatory

    Regulators authorize AST's 248-satellite network and grant a major commercial approval for direct-to-cell service with AT&T, Verizon, and FirstNet.

  8. Blue Origin strands BlueBird 7 in the wrong orbit

    Setback

    A New Glenn upper-stage engine underperforms, leaving the satellite too low to operate. It will reenter and is a total loss, covered by insurance.

  9. First five BlueBird satellites launch

    Launch

    A Falcon 9 lifts BlueBird 1 through 5, each with a 693-square-foot array, beginning the commercial constellation.

  10. BlueWalker 3 test satellite reaches orbit

    Milestone

    The prototype unfurls a large antenna array and later completes the first space-to-phone calls and broadband tests.

  11. AST SpaceMobile founded

    Origin

    Abel Avellan starts the company to connect standard phones directly to satellites, a feat most engineers doubted.

Scenarios

1

AST hits its 45-plus satellite target by year-end

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: AST SpaceMobile guidance, SpaceNews, Seeking Alpha

Launches keep pace through the second half of 2026 and the company puts enough BlueBirds in orbit to start continuous U.S. coverage. This needs a steady launch cadence and no more lost satellites. The June mission and the production line through BlueBird 37 point this way, but the schedule is tight.

2

Commercial direct-to-cell service goes live with a U.S. carrier

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: AT&T, Verizon, AST SpaceMobile

With FCC approval in hand, AT&T or Verizon turns on a paying or public beta direct-to-cell service that routes through AST's satellites. The carriers have signed deals; the open question is whether enough satellites and software are ready for a real launch this year rather than a demo.

3

A launch or production delay pushes coverage into 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: SpaceNews, CNBC

Another lost satellite, a grounded rocket, or a manufacturing snag slows the buildout. The April loss of BlueBird 7 and the New Glenn grounding showed how one failure ripples through the schedule. The company moves its continuous-coverage target past 2026.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1998-1999

Iridium's launch and bankruptcy (1998-1999)

Motorola-backed Iridium launched 66 satellites to offer global satellite phones. The network worked, but the handsets were bulky and calls cost several dollars a minute. Customers stayed away.

Then

Iridium filed for bankruptcy in 1999, about nine months after service began, with debts near $4 billion.

Now

Investors bought the network for a fraction of its cost. Iridium survived and still operates today under new owners.

Why this matters now

Iridium proved that building the satellites is the easy part. The hard part is signing up enough paying customers to cover enormous upfront costs, the same test AST now faces.

1994-2002

Teledesic's collapse (1990s-2002)

Backed by Bill Gates and Craig McCaw, Teledesic planned hundreds of satellites for an 'Internet in the sky.' It raised billions in pledges and ambition but kept shrinking its plans.

Then

The company stopped its satellite work in 2002 without launching an operational network.

Now

It became a cautionary tale about overpromising on large low-orbit constellations before the technology and economics were ready.

Why this matters now

Teledesic shows how a well-funded constellation can still fail if costs and launch schedules outrun revenue. AST's larger, fewer-satellite design is a bet on avoiding that trap.

1999-2002

Globalstar's first generation (1999-2002)

Globalstar launched a satellite-phone constellation around the same time as Iridium. It signed up far fewer subscribers than projected and carried heavy debt.

Then

Globalstar filed for bankruptcy in 2002 and restructured.

Now

The company endured and later won a role supplying satellite connectivity, including work tied to Apple's emergency-messaging feature.

Why this matters now

Globalstar's revival shows a path AST partners hope to follow: surviving early losses long enough to ride the new demand for phone-to-satellite links.

Sources

(15)
+9
Business Wire Space.com SatNews TechCrunch CNBC SpaceNews Spaceflight Now U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Light Reading Fierce Network EVX News Manufacturing Dive Space.com Space.com Light Reading