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AST SpaceMobile
American satellite manufacturer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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AST SpaceMobile is a publicly traded satellite designer and manufacturer based in Midland, Texas, United States.[4][5] The company is building the SpaceMobile satellite constellation, a space-based cellular broadband network that will allow existing, unmodified smartphones to connect to satellites in areas with coverage gaps.[6] Its BlueWalker 3 prototype and BlueBird commercial satellites are among the largest commercial communications arrays in low Earth orbit after their respective launches and unfoldings in 2022 and 2024.[7][8]
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History
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AST SpaceMobile was founded in May 2017 by Abel Avellan as AST & Science LLC.[6][9] Avellan remains the chairman and chief executive officer of the company.[10][11] Originally from Venezuela, Avellan is a United States citizen who previously worked for Swedish telecommunications conglomerate Ericsson.[12] In 1999, Avellan founded Emerging Markets Communications, a satellite-based communications services provider to maritime and other mobility markets, which was acquired in 2016 for US$550 million.[13][14]
AST & Science purchased a controlling interest in NanoAvionics, a Lithuanian satellite manufacturing company, on March 6, 2018.[15][16]
In March 2020, AST & Science LLC announced a Series B investment round, led by Vodafone and Rakuten, that raised $110 million for the company.[17] Samsung Next, American Tower, and Cisneros also participated.[18]
New Providence's first special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) announced in April 2021 that its shareholders had approved a proposal to form AST SpaceMobile in a business combination with AST & Science LLC.[19][20][21] AST SpaceMobile began to trade on the Nasdaq in the week after that announcement.[22] New Providence had raised $462 million through an initial public offering (IPO) and a private investment in public equity (PIPE) to fully fund the development and first phase of its satellite constellation.[23][24]
AST SpaceMobile started generating revenue through a U.S. Government contract in 2024.[25] However, the company does not expect to begin generating substantial revenue through mobile network operators like AT&T and Verizon until the company's BlueBird 1-5 satellites are fully operational.[26][27] The mobile network operators with whom the company has agreements and understandings collectively serve over 2.8 billion existing subscribers.[28][29]
In July 2022, Nokia announced that it had won a five-year 4G and 5G deal from AST SpaceMobile.[30]
AST SpaceMobile sold its majority ownership stake in NanoAvionics to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace in September 2022.[31][32]
In January 2024, AST SpaceMobile announced a new partnership with Google and AT&T to collaborate on product development, testing, and implementation plans for bringing satellite connectivity to Android smartphones.[33][34]
In May 2024, the company announced a $100 million partnership with Verizon to expand coverage to more remote parts of the United States, beyond the reach of a land-based network.[35]
On August 21, 2024, after the company confirmed its first commercial satellite launch in early September, AST SpaceMobile stock price jumped to $38.60 per share, or around 1,800% compared to record lows of $1.97 per share on April 2, 2024.[36][37] As a result, the company's market cap exceeded $8 billion in August 2024.[38] On December 9, 2024, AST SpaceMobile announced a commercial contract to provide space-based cellular broadband connectivity to Vodafone in Europe and Africa, as well as Vodafone’s partners, through 2034;[39] making a first test mobile video call with a standard smartphone the following month.[40]
Technical milestones
BlueWalker 1
BlueWalker 1, the first satellite of AST & Science LLC, was launched on April 1, 2019, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India on the 47th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C45).[41] Lithuanian smallsat company NanoAvionics built BlueWalker 1.[42] The satellite decayed from orbit on 29 November 2023.[43]
BlueWalker 3
In July 2021, AST SpaceMobile announced an agreement with SpaceX to launch its second satellite, BlueWalker 3.[44][45][46] It successfully launched on September 10, 2022, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.[47][48] The 693-square-foot (64 m2) antenna array of BlueWalker 3 was successfully unfolded to full deployment on November 10, 2022.[49] AST SpaceMobile expects BlueWalker 3 to have a field of view of over 300,000 square miles on Earth.[50] As of November 2022[update], BlueWalker 3 maintains low Earth orbit at an altitude between approximately 508 and 527 km (316 and 327 mi).[51]
On April 25, 2023, AST SpaceMobile made the world's first space-based two-way telephone call with unmodified smartphones (a Samsung Galaxy S22 and an Apple iPhone) using the BlueWalker 3 satellite. This initial call was made from Midland, Texas to Japan using an AT&T 2G cellular frequency spectrum.[52] The company also made the first 4G and 5G connectivity from a satellite in space directly to unmodified smartphones using the prototype satellite, achieving download rates as high as 21 Mbit/s.[53][54] The company used this connectivity to make the first-ever space-based 5G voice calls, when AST SpaceMobile staff in Hawaii used unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 handsets connected directly to BlueWalker 3 to call a Vodafone employee in Madrid, Spain.[55] In 2023, the company conducted a test which resulted in the first successful video call via space between everyday smartphones.[56][57]
Block 1 BlueBird
In March 2022, AST SpaceMobile announced a multi-launch contract with SpaceX to launch its first BlueBird operational satellite.[58][59] AST SpaceMobile has stated that it plans to produce up to six BlueBird satellites per month at two manufacturing sites in Midland, Texas.[60][61] The company attributed delays in the deployment schedule of its first operational Block 1 BlueBird satellites to supply chain issues and price increases.[62] On September 12, 2024, the company launched all five satellites with its BlueBird 1–5 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.[63] Hundreds of AST SpaceMobile's retail investors attended the mission's launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. On October 4, 2024, Avellan announced the first of the mission's Block 1 satellites had unfolded “ahead of schedule.”[64] By October 25, the company stated all five satellites had completely unfolded.[65]
Block 2 BlueBird
On November 14, 2024, AST SpaceMobile announced a launch campaign for its next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellites. The company revealed plans to utilize multiple launch providers, including Blue Origin's forthcoming New Glenn rocket, SpaceX's launch vehicles, and those operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). This initiative aims to deploy up to 60 Block 2 BlueBird satellites, each equipped with a communication array spanning approximately 2,400 square feet (223 square meters). These satellites are designed to achieve data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps, enabling voice, data, and video communication capabilities for end users.[66][67]
Licenses
In April 2020, AST & Science LLC petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for permission to operate a constellation of 243 communications satellites in 16 orbital planes at altitudes between 725 and 740 km (450 and 460 mi).[68]
In October 2020, NASA filed a letter with the FCC during the public-comment period related to this petition to express concerns about the risk of collisions between the SpaceMobile satellite constellation and the A-train satellite constellation, due to the proposed orbital altitude for SpaceMobile as well as the size and scale of the SpaceMobile project.[69][70][71][72] In November 2020, NASA submitted a second letter to the FCC to revise its original stance as a result of AST SpaceMobile's demonstrated interest in collaborating with NASA to mitigate risks.[73] In its second letter, NASA stated that technical concerns "need not preclude the issuance of the requested license" and that NASA had no concern with the license being granted.[74] Three United States Senators and one United States Congressman also filed letters with the FCC in support of SpaceMobile.[75]
United States wireless provider AT&T has partnered with AST SpaceMobile in a joint effort to provide satellite-based wireless service to remote areas of its coverage area.[76][77][78] AT&T filed a letter with the FCC in support of the petition for a license to operate in the United States, while AT&T's major competitors T-Mobile and Verizon initially asked the FCC to deny such a license.[75] In May 2024, it was announced that Verizon had become an investor and strategic partner of AST SpaceMobile.[79] AST SpaceMobile later revealed it would use “a segment” of both AT&T and Verizon's 850 MHz spectrum to support 100% geographic coverage within the United States.[80]
In May 2022, the FCC granted AST SpaceMobile an experimental license to connect to the BlueWalker 3 satellite.[81] In August 2024, the FCC authorized the company to launch and operate the frequencies required to support the initial BlueBird 1–5 satellite mission, including gateway, feeder link, and telemetry, tracking, and control operations. As of November 2024, the FCC has not yet decided if AST SpaceMobile can operate in terrestrial cellular frequencies and enable the company to provide commercial satellite-to-cell services.[82]
Impact on astronomy
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The SpaceMobile constellation has drawn criticism for its potential contribution to light pollution in the night sky, as well as radio-frequency interference with certain telescopes that operate outside of the visible light spectrum.[44][83]
Observations of BlueWalker 3 were obtained after it unfolded into a large flat-panel shape in November 2022. The measurements indicate that the fully deployed satellite is very bright and usually approaches first magnitude when it is near the zenith.[84]
Follow-up observations revealed three deep but temporary periods of reduced brightness. The dimming was attributed to a change in the orientation of the flat-panel needed in order to boost solar power generation.[85] This finding indicated that the satellite operator can reduce the luminosity of their constellation and mitigate its adverse impact on astronomy by making a small adjustment to the spacecraft orientation.
Additional criticism was focused on the proliferation of similar satellites being developed by AST SpaceMobile which – as a group – could have a deleterious impact to the science of astronomy.[86] Notes the New York Times, "they create bright trails and an ambient glow in the sky that can destroy astronomical images and obscure fainter celestial objects that would otherwise be visible to the naked eye."[44] In response to these concerns, AST SpaceMobile is working with the National Science Foundation on an agreement to reduce the impact of its satellites on astronomical observations;[87]
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References
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