AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 6 satellite, also known as FM1, has “completed final assembly and testing and is ready for flight” according to a company statement.

The satellite has been a long time reaching this point and was originally expected to launch much earlier this summer. It will now ship to India on a giant Antonov cargo aircraft next week on October 12th. There is, as yet, no date for its actual launch but the craft should launch this side of Christmas.

AST, in its statement, noted that BlueBird 7 is also well advanced and would be delivered to its SpaceX launch site in Cape Canaveral “in October”, adding:

• BlueBirds 8-16 are in various stages of production, with launches planned every 1-2 months on average during 2025 and 2026
• On track to complete 40 phased arrays by early 2026, bringing us to BlueBird 46
• Expecting 45-60 satellites in orbit by year-end 2026

“We have partnered with 50+ mobile network operators serving nearly 3 billion subscribers, supported by a flexible spectrum strategy blending our own licensed spectrum with partner spectrum. These BlueBirds will be the largest commercial satellites ever deployed in LEO – each featuring a 2,400 sq ft phased array with true direct-to-cell broadband, capable of up to 10,000 MHz of processing bandwidth and peak speeds of 120 Mbps per cel,” said AST.

The news prompted Barclays Bank to upgrade its share price target from $37 per share to $60 and advised clients that the stock should be considered “overweight” as part of their portfolios.

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Satellite

Tags: AST SpaceMobile, barclays, BlueBird