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After months of delays, AST SpaceMobile looks set to launch its first next “Bluebird” satellite before the end of the year as it competes with SpaceX’s cellular Starlink effort.
In an earnings report on Monday, AST Space Mobile said the Bluebird 6 satellite, also known as FM1, is expected to launch in the first half of December. India’s space agency, ISRO, also told local media that the satellite is scheduled to fly in the second week of December.
AST’s earliest target was to launch its first batch of next-generation Bluebird satellites in Q1 2024. But he later said he only planned to launch a next-gen Bluebird, a prototype called the FM1, before pushing it back three times, with some concerned it might not happen until January.
(Credit: AST Space Mobile)
Monday’s announcement marks a launch early next month. The company has not explained the delay. But the second-generation Bluebird satellites are about three times larger than AST’s first-gen model, and each one is more than 2,000 square feet, making them unusually large and heavy. In addition, the US Federal Communications Commission granted the company only an experimental license to retest FM1 in July, following objections from rival SpaceX.
Despite the delay, AST is indicating that it plans to launch the second-generation Bluebird, dubbed the FM2, possibly in December. “Bluebird 7 (FM2) expects to be sent to Cape Canaveral in November with an anticipated orbital launch shortly thereafter,” the company said in an earnings report.
Ironically, SpaceX has been contracted to launch FM2 using a Falcon 9 rocket. Satellites are critical to AST’s business of providing satellite connectivity to everyday phones, including powering messaging and video chats in cellular dead zones. AST has partnered with AT&T and Verizon to provide satellite service to customers sometime next year.
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However, AST has repeatedly said it needs between 45 and 60 satellites in orbit to offer consistent service across the US. So, launching enough satellites in time is crucial to the company’s effort to compete with SpaceX’s cellular StarLink, which is already available through T-Mobile and will soon be promoting mobile.
For now, AST is saying it is “on track for five orbital launches expected by the end of Q1 2026, with an average launch every one to two months (a) reaching a goal of 45 to 60 satellites by the end of 2026.” In an earnings call, the company also said it has “fully funded” a total of 100-plus satellites to improve the constellation’s coverage and capabilities globally.
In the call, AST executives also said that a single SpaceX Falcon 9 has the capacity to carry three next-generation Bluebird satellites. Meanwhile, Blue Origin’s more powerful new Glenn should be able to carry an estimated 18. The company also agreed with estimates that the AST Bridge could begin beta tests in North America when it has about 25 satellites in orbit.
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About our expert
Michael Kahn
Senior reporter
Experience
I have been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite Internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware and more. I am currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s StarLink satellite Internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, battles with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and efforts to expand satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and reached out to remote corners of California to test StarLink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling its personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint Investigation Along with the motherboard
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. Now I’m following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump into the comments with feedback and send me pointers.
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