AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) has confirmed August 5 as the launch date for its next three BlueBird satellites, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The upcoming mission will deploy BlueBird satellites 11, 12, and 13 into low Earth orbit, continuing the company’s push toward commercial satellite coverage.
BlueBird satellites are significantly larger than competing Starlink satellites, featuring 693-square-foot arrays roughly the size of two school buses that unfold after deployment.
The company describes these as the largest commercial arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit, giving AST SpaceMobile a distinct technical edge over traditional satellite designs.
Because of their larger footprint, AST SpaceMobile believes it needs only 45 to 60 BlueBird satellites to provide continuous coverage across its highest-priority markets.
The road to that goal has not been without setbacks, most notably in April when Blue Origin deployed BlueBird 7 into an orbit too low, resulting in the satellite’s total loss.
Following that failure, AST SpaceMobile switched to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which successfully launched BlueBird satellites 8, 9, and 10 on June 17, and is now set to carry the next batch on August 5.
The company had originally hoped to have 45 to 60 BlueBird satellites in orbit by the end of 2026, but that timeline now appears unattainable given current launch cadence.
Even if AST SpaceMobile successfully launches three satellites every month for the remainder of the year, it would reach only 24 total satellites in orbit by year’s end.
Looking further out, the company has set an ambitious target of 248 satellites, meaning it faces years of sustained launches to build out its full constellation.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket recently demonstrated the ability to deploy 20 Starlink satellites at once, and if Starlink becomes commercially viable, it could potentially carry more BlueBird satellites per mission.
However, it remains unclear when or whether Starship will enter regular commercial operations, leaving AST SpaceMobile dependent on Falcon 9 for the foreseeable future.
With shares of ASTS down 56.4% from their highs, investors are watching the August 5 launch closely as either a meaningful step forward or another costly setback.
