AST SpaceMobile
Satellite communications company developing a low-Earth-orbit network that connects ordinary mobile phones directly to space-based cellular broadband.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
AST SpaceMobile is a United States satellite communications company based in Midland, Texas. It is designing, manufacturing, and operating the SpaceMobile constellation, a planned low-Earth-orbit network intended to provide cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard, unmodified smartphones. Rather than requiring customers to purchase a dedicated satellite handset, the company's model uses large communications arrays in space together with mobile-network spectrum and partnerships with terrestrial operators. The intended service includes voice, text, data, and video connectivity over 4G and 5G-compatible frequencies, with an emphasis on rural, maritime, disaster-affected, and otherwise underserved areas where conventional cellular infrastructure is unavailable or uneconomic. The company was established in May 2017 as AST & Science LLC by Abel Avellan, a telecommunications and satellite-services entrepreneur who previously worked at Ericsson and founded Emerging Markets Communications. AST & Science later acquired a controlling interest in NanoAvionics, a Lithuanian satellite manufacturer, to strengthen its spacecraft-development capabilities. The company attracted strategic investment from Vodafone, Rakuten, Samsung Next, American Tower, and Cisneros, among others. In 2021, AST & Science combined with New Providence Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company, and began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker ASTS. The public-company structure supplied capital for satellite development and the initial phase of constellation deployment. AST SpaceMobile's technology demonstrations centered on BlueWalker 3, a large prototype satellite launched in September 2022. After its antenna array unfolded, the spacecraft became one of the largest commercial communications structures deployed in low Earth orbit. In 2023, the company reported the first two-way telephone call between an orbiting satellite and an ordinary, unmodified smartphone, followed by demonstrations involving 4G, 5G, and video connectivity. These tests were conducted with mobile devices and spectrum associated with partners including AT&T, Vodafone, and other telecommunications operators. The demonstrations were intended to show that satellite-based service could supplement existing mobile networks without requiring a specialized user terminal. The first five operational Block 1 BlueBird satellites were launched together in September 2024. AST SpaceMobile planned to manufacture satellites at facilities in Midland and to expand the network through launches supplied by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the Indian Space Research Organisation. The larger Block 2 BlueBird design was announced as having a substantially larger communications array and materially greater capacity than the first operational generation. The company has described a long-term constellation containing many satellites, although the scale and timing depend on financing, launch availability, manufacturing, spectrum rights, regulatory approvals, and successful in-orbit testing. AST SpaceMobile's commercial model relies heavily on agreements with mobile-network operators. Partners and counterparties have included AT&T, Vodafone, Rakuten, Google, Verizon, Nokia, and stc group. Operators can use the network to extend their existing coverage and retain the customer relationship, while AST SpaceMobile supplies the satellite infrastructure and related service layer. The company began recording revenue from a United States government contract in 2024, but it has indicated that meaningful operator-service revenue depends on making the initial commercial satellites fully operational and obtaining the necessary regulatory permissions. The business has also faced technical, regulatory, and environmental scrutiny. NASA and other parties raised questions during the Federal Communications Commission licensing process about collision risks involving the proposed constellation. Astronomers have criticized the brightness of the company's large satellites and the possible effects of satellite reflections and radio-frequency emissions on astronomical observations. AST SpaceMobile has engaged with regulators and researchers on orbital safety, spectrum coordination, and mitigation measures. Its future depends on converting successful demonstrations into reliable commercial service while controlling the cost and complexity of launching and operating a large satellite network.
History
AST SpaceMobile was founded in May 2017 by Abel Avellan as AST & Science LLC. Avellan had previously worked for Ericsson and had founded Emerging Markets Communications, a satellite communications provider serving mobility and other specialist markets. In 2018, AST & Science acquired a controlling interest in NanoAvionics, a Lithuanian spacecraft manufacturer, linking the company to additional satellite engineering and production capabilities. The company raised strategic capital as it developed a direct-to-device satellite system. A Series B round announced in 2020 was led by Vodafone and Rakuten and included participation from Samsung Next, American Tower, and Cisneros. In 2021, AST & Science merged with New Providence Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company. The transaction placed the business on Nasdaq as AST SpaceMobile, Inc., with the ticker ASTS, and provided capital for the first phase of its planned constellation. AST SpaceMobile's first satellite, BlueWalker 1, was launched from India in April 2019. Its more consequential technology demonstration was BlueWalker 3, launched by SpaceX in September 2022. The satellite carried a very large phased-array antenna designed to communicate with ordinary mobile phones. After deployment in November 2022, the spacecraft supported a sequence of tests intended to validate direct connections using cellular spectrum and consumer handsets. In April 2023, the company announced a two-way telephone call between Midland, Texas, and Japan using a Samsung Galaxy S22 and an Apple iPhone connected through BlueWalker 3. Further tests demonstrated direct 4G and 5G connectivity and, according to the company, a space-based 5G voice call involving users in Hawaii and Spain. The company also reported a video call between everyday smartphones. These demonstrations helped establish AST SpaceMobile's central proposition: satellite connectivity that complements existing mobile networks without requiring users to carry a dedicated satellite phone. Commercial deployment began with the BlueBird program. AST SpaceMobile signed launch arrangements with SpaceX and described plans to produce satellites at facilities in Midland, Texas. Supply-chain constraints and higher costs affected the timing of the first operational satellites. In September 2024, five Block 1 BlueBird satellites were launched together on a Falcon 9. The satellites were unfolded during the following weeks as the company prepared them for testing and service introduction. Partnerships with mobile operators have remained central to the business model. AT&T, Vodafone, Rakuten, Verizon, and other operators have participated in commercial, technical, or strategic arrangements. Google and AT&T announced collaboration on Android-related product development and testing in 2024. Nokia separately announced a five-year agreement concerning 4G and 5G technology. AST SpaceMobile also sold its majority stake in NanoAvionics to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace in 2022. Regulation has been an important part of the company's development. AST & Science sought permission from the Federal Communications Commission for a large satellite constellation. NASA initially raised collision-risk concerns relating to the proposed orbital configuration and the possible interaction with NASA's A-train satellites, but later indicated that technical concerns did not necessarily prevent licensing. The FCC granted an experimental license for BlueWalker 3 in 2022 and later authorized operations associated with the initial BlueBird mission. Additional temporary testing authority followed for use of partner spectrum in the United States. The constellation has also generated concern among astronomers. BlueWalker 3's large reflective array can be conspicuous in the night sky, and researchers have warned that large constellations may create optical trails or radio-frequency interference affecting astronomical observations. Observations indicated that changing the spacecraft's orientation could reduce brightness for portions of its orbit, providing a possible mitigation avenue. The company therefore operates at the intersection of commercial telecommunications, satellite manufacturing, spectrum regulation, launch services, and space-environment stewardship. Its long-term success depends on expanding the constellation, securing regulatory approvals and spectrum access, achieving dependable network performance, and converting operator relationships into recurring service revenue.
- 2024
Five Block 1 BlueBird satellites launch
[1]BlueBird 1–5 launch together on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and are subsequently unfolded for testing.
- 2023
Direct-to-smartphone calling demonstrated
[1]AST SpaceMobile reports two-way voice, 4G, 5G, and video demonstrations using unmodified smartphones.
- 2022
BlueWalker 3 launches and deploys
[1]The prototype launches on Falcon 9 and later unfolds its large communications array in low Earth orbit.
- 2021
Public listing through SPAC transaction
[1]AST & Science combines with New Providence Acquisition Corp. and begins Nasdaq trading as AST SpaceMobile.
- 2019
BlueWalker 1 launches
[1]The company's first satellite launches from India aboard PSLV-C45.
- 2018
NanoAvionics investment
[1]AST & Science acquires a controlling interest in Lithuanian satellite manufacturer NanoAvionics.
- 2017
AST & Science is founded
[1]Abel Avellan establishes AST & Science LLC, the predecessor of AST SpaceMobile.
Products and positioning
A wholesale and partner-enabled satellite cellular broadband platform designed to extend mobile-network coverage to standard smartphones in remote and underserved areas.
Satellite cellular broadband network
SpaceMobile network
The planned SpaceMobile network is a low-Earth-orbit cellular broadband system intended to connect directly with ordinary smartphones. It is designed to use mobile-operator spectrum and partner relationships to extend voice, messaging, data, and video coverage beyond terrestrial network footprints. The architecture is aimed particularly at remote communities, rural areas, maritime users, emergency situations, and locations where building terrestrial towers is difficult or costly. Commercial availability depends on constellation deployment, spectrum coordination, testing, and regulatory approval.
Prototype communications satellite · 2022
BlueWalker 3
BlueWalker 3 is AST SpaceMobile's principal orbital prototype and technology-demonstration satellite. Launched in September 2022, it carries a large phased-array antenna that was unfolded in orbit. The spacecraft was used for reported voice, data, 4G, 5G, and video connections with unmodified consumer smartphones. Its size and brightness also made it a subject of concern among astronomers studying the effects of large satellite constellations on optical observations and radio astronomy.
Commercial satellite constellation · 2024
BlueBird Block 1
BlueBird Block 1 is the first operational satellite generation for the SpaceMobile network. Five satellites, designated BlueBird 1–5, were launched together in September 2024. They are intended to provide greater capacity and geographic coverage than the prototype while enabling continued testing and preparation for commercial service with mobile-network partners. AST SpaceMobile has described manufacturing plans centered on facilities in Midland, Texas, although deployment depends on production, launch, spectrum, and regulatory milestones.
Next-generation communications satellites
BlueBird Block 2
BlueBird Block 2 is a planned higher-capacity satellite generation announced in 2024. AST SpaceMobile described satellites with communications arrays substantially larger than those of Block 1 and a target of materially higher data capacity. The company outlined a multi-launch campaign using several providers, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, and ISRO, with a possible deployment of up to 60 satellites. The program is intended to support expanded voice, data, and video connectivity for standard mobile devices.
Brand decisions
2024
Deploy the first five operational BlueBird satellitesProduct launchBackground
AST SpaceMobile needed to move from prototype demonstrations toward a commercial constellation capable of supporting mobile-network partners.
Action taken
The company launched BlueBird 1–5 together on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in September 2024 and began unfolding and testing the satellites.
Aftermath
The launch established the initial operational satellite group, while commercial service remained dependent on further testing, regulatory permissions, and network integration.
2024
Announce the Block 2 BlueBird architectureGeneration changeBackground
The initial BlueBird satellites were intended to validate the service, but a larger network would require greater satellite capacity and more efficient constellation expansion.
Action taken
AST SpaceMobile announced a next-generation Block 2 design with much larger communications arrays and planned launches from multiple providers.
Aftermath
The announcement set out a longer-term path toward a larger constellation, subject to manufacturing, financing, launch, spectrum, and regulatory conditions.
2024
Expand operator-led distribution partnershipsStrategyBackground
AST SpaceMobile's service model depends on mobile operators providing customer access, spectrum, and terrestrial-network integration.
Action taken
The company expanded relationships with AT&T, Vodafone, Verizon, Google, and other telecommunications organizations, including a reported Verizon partnership valued at $100 million.
Aftermath
The partnerships strengthened the company's operator-enabled wholesale positioning but did not by themselves establish full commercial service.
Reported Verizon partnership value. $100 million (Announced May 2024)
Recent events
AST SpaceMobile and European operators sign letters of intent[3]
Reported:
AST SpaceMobile said it signed letters of intent with Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone to explore a potential joint bid for Mobile Satellite Services spectrum and coordinate spectrum access and service deployment.
SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile reportedly seek to acquire Grain Management spectrum assets[4]
Reported:
On August 20, 2026, people familiar with the matter said SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile, among other companies, have expressed intent to acquire some of the spectrum resources held by technology and communications investment firm Grain Management LLC, spectrum valuable for providing wireless phone service directly from space. Grain reportedly asked interested parties to submit preliminary bids by the first week of September and hopes to raise about $6 billion from selling the spectrum licenses, though its plans could also involve leasing spectrum capacity.
AST SpaceMobile and Smart Communications sign network partnership MoU[5]
Reported:
AST SpaceMobile signed a memorandum of understanding with Smart Communications to bring AST SpaceMobile’s developing space-based cellular broadband network to customers in the Philippines.
Sources5 sources
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