The FCC has issued AST SpaceMobile (AST) and its key US partners AT&T, Verizon and FirstNet its formal public notice that it is minded to grant formal permission for AST’s recognition that it can operate as a full ‘Supplemental Coverage from Space Authorisation (SCSA) system. The FCC invites public comments by October 6th. There isn’t […]
AST SpaceMobile has secured a financing package sufficient to launch its first five direct-to-cellular satellites. The fresh money, worth $100 million (€91.9m), comes on top of other recent financial input into the business. The cash comes from Atlas Credit Partners (ACP). The investment builds upon AST’s $800 million existing capital base. The ACP credit facility […]
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is to build “the largest deployable antenna array” designed by SpaceX to date. SpaceX is advertising for mechanical engineers to help achieve the concept. A LinkedIn comment from Sara Spangelo, SpaceX’s co-lead on the sat-phone scheme, read: “SpaceX is developing a breakthrough new direct to cell satellite network to bring ubiquitous cellular […]
The Seraphim Space Investment Trust, which has its cash invested in dozens of space-related businesses, has seen the value of its holdings dramatically reduced in its latest disclosure. While it reported a 36.7 per cent increase in the values of the 26 businesses that it is participating in (to £239.3 million) in the year to […]
AST SpaceMobile, backed by Vodafone and other cellular operators, says its BlueWalker 3 satellite, designed to create a space-based cellular network directly accessible from standard mobile phones, will launch around August 15th. The test satellite’s launch date is subject to the usual constraints of weather and last-minute technical factors. BlueWalker 3 will launch from Florida […]
AST SpaceMobile, the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, has confirmed it plans to launch its BlueWalker 3 test satellite from Cape Canaveral, FL during the week of August 15th. The actual launch date remains subject to change and is contingent on a number of […]
AST & Science is planning a mega-constellation of satellites, called SpaceMobile, to provide 2G/3G/4G/5G connectivity anywhere on the planet, including aircraft broadband connectivity. Texas-based AST & Science (AST) has won investments from the likes of Vodafone and Japanese e-retailer Rakuten and bringing the amount raised to $128 million. Its first test-satellite will reportedly launch later […]