Tag: AST SpaceMobile
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SpaceX Delivers Three More BlueBird Satellites to Orbit for AST SpaceMobile
The launch came about a month and a half after SpaceX flew the BlueBird 8-10 mission. It was the third time SpaceX has carried satellites for AST SpaceMobile’s constellation, which aims to connect standard phones without any special hardware. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 3:49 a.m.…
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AST SpaceMobile Activates Direct-to-Cell Service in Japan With Rakuten
The operational milestone fulfills international regulatory conditions under AST SpaceMobile’s operating license. The service uses the company’s phased-array BlueBird satellite constellation in Low Earth Orbit, engineered to connect directly to unmodified 4G and 5G smartphones through large deployable aperture arrays that communicate across commercial cellular spectrum without requiring specialized hardware or external antenna adapters on…
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AST Eyes $1B Notes as Vikram-1 Targets Orbit
What Is Driving AST SpaceMobile Toward Vertical Launch Integration? AST SpaceMobile announced $1 billion in convertible notes — and its stock dropped more than 10 percent the same evening. The stated rationale tells the more important story: the direct-to-device satellite operator says it needs more rockets, and it is explicitly considering "partnerships and/or acquisitions" to…
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Japan Nears Decision on $2 Billion Domestic Direct-to-Device Satellite Network
Japan is expected to select a proposal this month for its planned J-LEO direct-to-device (D2D) satellite network, a government-backed initiative aimed at establishing a domestically owned and operated low Earth orbit (LEO) communications system. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has allocated approximately $1 billion in subsidies for the project, covering up to…
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Launch Preview: 10 launches scheduled from sites across the world
A very busy launch manifest is expected in the upcoming week, with 10 launches scheduled from various sites across the world. Falcon 9 is expected to launch five of the 10 launches this week, with two Starlink missions, a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, a mission for AST SpaceMobile, and a demo of the…
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SpaceX launches 3 Block 2 BlueBird satellites for AST SpaceMobile
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the BlueBird 8-10 mission for AST SpaceMobile on June 17, 2026. The streak shot was captured from the sands of Cocoa Beach, Florida, south of the launch site. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update June 17,…
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In a first, Blue Origin uses a recycled rocket to send a satellite into orbit — unfortunately, it’s the wrong orbit
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket rises from its Florida pad, sending an AST SpaceMobile satellite into space. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture used a previously flown New Glenn rocket booster to send a satellite into space today, marking a first for the company. It was also New Glenn’s first launch…
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AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 Lost in New Glenn Upper Stage Failure
What happened to AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite? AST SpaceMobile has declared its BlueBird 7 satellite a total loss following an upper stage failure during Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch on April 19, 2026. The $50 million direct-to-device communications satellite was lost when the rocket’s upper stage experienced an anomaly during orbital insertion, despite Blue…
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New Glenn launches on third mission, successfully reuses booster for the first time
Just over five months after the launch of its second mission, Blue Origin’s partially reusable New Glenn rocket launched from Florida early Sunday morning. The mission marked Blue Origin’s first attempt at reusing a New Glenn first stage booster, with GS1-SN002 Never Tell Me The Odds launching again after previously launching the ESCAPADE mission to…
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Blue Origin hot fires its first previously flown booster, prepares for weekend launch
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roars to life during a roughly 20-second static fire test of its seven BE-4 engines. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roared to life in a critical pre-launch demonstration of its main engines Thursday, less than an hour after the Sun crested over the horizon in Florida.…