Largest Commercial Space Antenna Set to Launch Amid Expansion
Dec 17, 2025
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. is preparing to launch its next satellite as part of its space-based broadband network. The company initially announced that its BlueBird 6 satellite was scheduled to launch on December 15th, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India aboard an ISRO LVM-3 rocket. However, just days after the announcement, the launch date has been pushed back to December 20th, as confirmed by India’s Space Research Organisation. The network works directly with standard smartphones without any modifications or special equipment.
AST SpaceMobile promo. Credit: AST SpaceMobile
AST SpaceMobile’s first next-generation spacecraft, BlueBird 6, will feature the largest commercial phased-array antenna in low Earth orbit, measuring approximately 2,400 square feet — 3.5 times larger than those on BlueBirds 1–5. The satellite supports 10 times the data capacity of its predecessors. The launch announcement received a positive response in the market. On December 3rd, shares increased 8.14% to $56.89 and on December 4th, shares surged 16.94% to reach a cumulative 25%. Investors expressed confidence in the company’s ability to execute its schedule. The stock movement was an indication of increased confidence in AST SpaceMobile’s ability to shift towards operational status.
AST SpaceMobile intends to roll out its constellation in the shortest time possible in 2026. The company has 40 satellites worth of components that are scheduled to be completed by early 2026. By the end of Q1 2026, the management anticipates five launches into orbit with a one to two-month interval. The schedule aims at 45 to 60 satellites by 2026, which will be used to maintain coverage throughout the United States and some foreign markets. The company described its deployment strategy in its October 23rd prospectus. AST SpaceMobile said it would roll out non-continuous coverage in the chosen markets using 25 BlueBird satellites. The company said that it was confident that 25 satellites would provide cash flows to continue the buildup of the constellation. The management felt that with 45 to 60 satellites, it would be able to achieve 24-hour coverage in the United States, Europe, Japan and other important markets.
The firm has close to 500,000 square feet of manufacturing capacities across the globe with about 400,000 square feet of that in the United States. It has expanded to almost 1,800 employees and the majority of them are located in the United States. The Texas and Florida facilities have been expanded to deal with the past bottleneck issues of production. CEO Abel Avellan stated that their next-generation satellites would soon enable ubiquitous cellular broadband coverage directly to everyday smartphones from space. He was proud of demonstrating U.S. leadership in space innovation and leading the next generation of global connectivity. He was confident in the implementation of the company vision as manifested in his comments.
AST SpaceMobile has already contracted over a billion dollars of potential revenue. These partnerships consist of Vodafone Idea in India and several carriers in the U.S. The technology provides direct-to-device (D2D) service and also does not require new phones or extra equipment because the technology uses ordinary unmodified devices to deliver. This makes it easy to adopt and user-friendly. The management of the company recognizes that launch timing remains subject to external factors. The precise or actual time may vary depending on the availability of the launch providers, weather and other circumstances that are out of the control of the company. The recent five-day delay of BlueBird 6 exemplifies this uncertainty. BlueBird 7 might also launch in December but it is unclear who the provider will be. Blue Origin is contracted to launch eight BlueBird satellites in a single flight and the date is to be determined in 2026.
