Thursday, June 18, 2026
AST SpaceMobile launches three next-gen BlueBird satellites
AST SpaceMobile confirmed the successful launch of BlueBird satellites 8, 9, and 10 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on June 17, with the rocket's upper stage deploying all three into low Earth orbit about an hour after liftoff. The spacecraft carry the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed in LEO - roughly 2,400 square feet each - to beam space-based cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones, quadrupling AST's next-generation in-orbit fleet. The launch restores momentum after the company's BlueBird 7 satellite was deorbited in April and advances its push to build the constellation needed for continuous U.S. coverage.
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