AST SpaceMobile said it continues preparing to launch its space-based cellular broadband beta service during 2026.
The initiative will provide scaled, non-commercial usage through strategic mobile network operator partners in select global markets, with 3,000 digital cells already activated across the continental United States.
The deployment of BlueBird satellites 8 through 13 brought six spacecraft into orbit within 50 days, expanding AST SpaceMobile’s constellation to 13 satellites with around 20,000 square feet of combined aperture hardware.
BlueBirds 14, 15, and 16 will be ready to ship shortly, while satellites 17 through 46 are in various stages of production and assembly.