Satellite direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has completed construction of its first five Bluebird low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and announced a shipment scheduled for the first week of August, followed by a September launch in the U.S.
The five satellites heading to space were built on the successful orbit tests of BlueWalker 3 satellite. Once up there, stated Abel Avellan, chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, they will provide U.S. “nationwide non-continuous service” with more than 5,600 cells in low-band spectrum, with a 10-fold increase in processing bandwidth. “Completing the manufacturing, assembly, and environmental testing for these satellites represents a significant milestone in our mission to bridge the digital divide and deliver connectivity to those who need it most,” he continued. “We are eager to see these pioneering satellites take flight and begin laying the foundation for our global cellular broadband network.” In the U.S., the company will use Verizon and AT&T’s 850MHz spectrum.
AT&T, Verizon and Google are all U.S.-based strategic investors in AST SpaceMobile. Further, Google is working with the company on joint work on product development, testing and implementation of the satellite tech on Android devices.
In September of last year, AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone — another key partner and financial backer — successfully completed a space-based 5G voice call, which took place from Hawaii to José Guevara using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite.
While an exact launch date for the five Bluebirds has not been specified, the company did share that the satellites, equipped with communications arrays measuring 693 square feet, will depart from a launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida.