Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) climbed to their highest level in nearly three weeks on Monday, rising 8% to $63.52 and marking a third consecutive session of gains.
The rally was fueled by a Meta Platforms executive publicly outlining a vision for delivering WhatsApp through AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network to users around the world.
Vinod Samarawickrama, Meta’s global head of quality of experience, network AI strategy and satellite/space, announced via LinkedIn that Meta hosted the AST SpaceMobile team at its Menlo Park office last week for an “intensive technical and product workshop.”
Samarawickrama said the session centered on a shared vision of bringing WhatsApp over AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network to users worldwide, signaling meaningful momentum in the partnership.
He noted that discussions have moved beyond questions of technical feasibility and are now focused on building an intuitive, scalable product that people will actually use in their daily lives.
The teams reviewed the full product journey, including user experience, network architecture, technical integration and go-to-market strategy, with the goal of enabling voice, video, messaging and Meta AI experiences through AST’s network.
“Satellite and terrestrial networks continue to converge,” Samarawickrama said, describing an industry trajectory toward connectivity that is available regardless of a user’s physical location.
The Meta collaboration extends beyond emergency communications, targeting travelers, remote workers, people outside conventional mobile coverage and those operating at sea.
The announcement arrives as AST SpaceMobile prepares to launch BlueBird satellites 11, 12 and 13 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with liftoff targeted for 3:42 a.m. EDT Wednesday.
The three satellites were stacked and ready for launch as of Friday, following the successful deployment of BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 in June, while BlueBirds 14, 15 and 16 are already being readied for the next mission.
BlueBirds 11 through 13 feature a next-generation stackable design and lightweight carbon-composite structures, enabling multiple satellites to launch together and accelerating the pace of constellation deployment.
The new satellites are expected to deliver nearly twice the peak download speeds of the initial Block 1 BlueBirds, which recently demonstrated speeds of 98.9 Mbps to ordinary, unmodified smartphones.
Production is also advancing through satellite 42, reflecting the company’s aggressive manufacturing and deployment pipeline as it works to expand global coverage.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS improved to “neutral” from “bearish” levels recorded the prior day, accompanied by a nearly 500% surge in 24-hour message volumes.
One user said, “$ASTS next launch is effectively tomorrow night since it will be in the first hours of Wednesday. Those BBs will be well into space by the time the market opens Wednesday.”
Another retail trader noted, “$ASTS is still lovely, especially as the number of satellites in orbit will increase by 25% in less than 72 hours.”
ASTS stock has gained 21% over the past year as the company accelerates its ambitions to bring satellite-based connectivity directly to standard mobile devices worldwide.
