(AST SpaceMobile)
AST SpaceMobile has successfully unfolded its massive 2,400 square-foot satellite in orbit as the company tries to challenge SpaceX’s cellular Starlink service.
On Tuesday, AST SpaceMobile posted a picture of the satellite’s antenna array fully deployed, weeks after it flew into space in late December.
Dubbed BlueBird 6, the satellite “features the largest commercial communications array antenna ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit,” AST added in the announcement.
It’s an important milestone since the satellite, also known as the FM1, represents the first second-generation “BlueBird” from the Texas-based startup. Like SpaceX, the company has been focused on using satellites as orbiting cell towers to beam connectivity to phones on the ground, eliminating dead zones.
(AST SpaceMobile)Back in 2024, AST launched five first-generation BlueBird satellites, which each span nearly 700 square feet in size. However, the second-generation BirdBirds are about three times larger, featuring an even bigger antenna that promises to bolster each satellite’s bandwidth capacity by ten times.
The challenge facing AST was whether the antenna could be successfully unfolded once the satellite had reached orbit. The company itself described the FM1 as “technology pathfinder” to US regulators. But it looks the startup pulled off the feat, with AST’s CEO Abel Avellan describing the achievement as “a true breakthrough in space-based cellular broadband.”
AST says the “satellite is engineered to support peak data speeds of up to 120 Mbps," although we suspect real-world speeds will be slower if a cell area is full of users. Still, the company adds: “The aperture enables full 4G and 5G cellular broadband services, including voice, data, and video to standard, unmodified smartphones everywhere."
(AST SpaceMobile)We'll be curious to see how the satellite performs, including how the connectivity compares with the cellular Starlink tech. SpaceX's alternative can already power video calls, texting and certain mobile apps, but bandwidth is constrained. AST's new satellite might also face complaints from astronomers concerned about the satellite reflecting too much light in the night sky.
Before it can start serving consumers, AST still needs to launch more BlueBirds so that the company’s satellite constellation is large enough to offer continuous coverage over markets including the US. Currently, AST only has six BlueBirds in orbit, along with the company’s test satellite BlueWalker 3. In contrast, SpaceX has already been offering its cellular Starlink service through T-Mobile using about 650 satellites. The Elon Musk company is also planning an even larger 15,000 satellite constellation to upgrade the cellular Starlink service so that it can offer performance akin to 5G.
To catch up, AST is betting it can launch between 45 to 60 satellites by the end of 2026 —or enough to start supplying cell coverage through partners including AT&T and Verizon. To do so, the company has contracted with Blue Origin, which is preparing to launch the next second-gen BlueBird sometime later this month through the company’s New Glenn rocket.
It’s a gamble considering New Glenn has only completed two successful flights, and only one landed the reusable booster. However, AST envisions the New Glenn carrying up to eight BlueBird satellites in future flights. In a bit of irony, the startup has also contracted SpaceX to launch some BirdBird satellites as well.