3 More AST SpaceMobile Satellites Launched
The company, behind on it direct-to-device satellite deployment, has said it could buy a launch provider to avoid further delays
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2026 – AST SpaceMobile successfully launched three more of its massive BlueBird satellites on Wednesday, for a new total of 13 in orbit.
The three launched Wednesday are larger than the company’s initial five satellites, AST said in a release, and can support higher mobile broadband speeds. They were launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.
The units will take a few weeks to fully unfold to their operational form.
AST CEO Abel Avellan said in a post on X that the next three satellites were expected “to follow soon after,” but didn't give a date. He said production was in progress through unit number 42.
The company is working to offer a direct-to-device mobile service that would compete with planned constellations from SpaceX and Amazon.
But it's behind schedule on its goal of having at least 45 satellites in orbit, which will be necessary to offer commercial service. That target has been pushed to early 2027 because of a lack of sufficient launch capacity.
Still, Avellan said in a release that the company was preparing for beta services “later this year.” The company has deals with dozens of mobile carriers to provide direct-to-device service with its satellite constellation.
In the U.S., AST has partnered with AT&T and Verizon.
In May, one of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets exploded on the launch pad, leaving the rocket grounded pending a Federal Aviation Administration investigation. New Glenn was one of the launch vehicles AST was relying on to get its huge BlueBird satellites in orbit.
That was after another unsuccessful New Glenn launch that didn’t get an AST satellite to the correct orbit, forcing the company to burn the unit up in the atmosphere.
As a potential means of addressing its difficulties in securing launch services, the company is trying to raise an additional $1 billion from share sales.
The company told the Securities and Exchange Commission the extra cash would allow it to consider “partnerships and/or acquisitions to further vertically integrate its business and mitigate risks associated with third-party launch providers.”
That might include buying a launch provider, to avoid having to deal with third parties and have a dedicated supply of launches to support its direct-to-device ambitions.
Rocket launcher Rocket Lab had a similar motivation when it struck a deal to buy Iridium for $8 billion. Iridium already had satellites and valuable direct-to-device spectrum, which would have been difficult for the rocket company to build and acquire itself.
