AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) climbed over 1% overnight heading into Thursday after the company shipped three BlueBird satellites to Cape Canaveral and disclosed a key regulatory meeting.
CEO Abel Avellan met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Monday to push for expanded direct-to-device spectrum access, including the lower 6 GHz band.
ASTS had fallen nearly 1% to $58.86 on Wednesday, closing out September with a modest 0.2% monthly loss and remaining down 19% year-to-date.
AST announced on X that BlueBirds 14, 15, and 16 had departed its Texas facility and were en route to Florida, writing “Another convoy is on the move. Next stop: orbit.”
The company previously confirmed BlueBird 14 was complete while satellites 15 and 16 were nearing completion, and the latest shipment confirms their readiness though no launch date was specified.
AST said its satellites carry the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit, capable of delivering space-based cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones.
Production at AST’s Midland, Texas facility continues to advance through BlueBird 50, with more than 20 spacecraft structures currently being integrated as part of its ongoing assembly process.
The company’s broader launch campaign targeting approximately 45 satellites has seen its timeline shift from 2026 to early 2027, with beta service preparations underway with selected partners.
Also attending the FCC meeting were Jennifer Manner, AST’s senior vice president of regulatory affairs and international strategy, along with Nicholas Degani of Reticulated Strategies and Arpan Sura, Carr’s senior counsel and chief AI officer.
AST expressed support for the FCC’s proposal to make unlicensed spectrum available for direct-to-device services and argued that adding the lower 6 GHz band would support service development and competition.
The company and its partners also discussed supporting an auction of the 1675-1695 MHz band, signaling a broader push to secure favorable spectrum positioning ahead of full constellation deployment.
These developments follow AT&T CEO John Stankey’s criticism of SpaceX’s proposed rooftop cellular network as “not a viable strategy,” citing cost and consent hurdles as significant obstacles.
AST’s newly announced change-of-control severance plan has fueled retail buyout speculation, though no deal has been announced and a change of control alone would not trigger severance payments.
Under the plan, a qualifying executive departure within one year of a change of control would entitle Avellan to twice the sum of his annual salary and target bonus, while other eligible executives would receive 1.5 times that sum.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS jumped to “bullish” from “neutral” levels seen a week ago, accompanied by high message volume as investors reacted to the convoy and FCC disclosures.
One user wrote, “$ASTS Abel and B Carr meeting together in person at the FCC? Big,” while another added, “$ASTS If BB11 had a problem I can’t imagine they would have shipped 14-16. More confirmation IMO that BB11 is just fine.”
