TAMPA, Fla. — AST SpaceMobile, a broadband constellation developer that can connect directly to smartphones, says it has successfully deployed its first five production satellites after SpaceX compressed them for launch into low Earth orbit (LEO) last month. was announced on October 25th.
Each deployed Block 1 BlueBird measures approximately 64 square meters and features the largest commercially deployed solar array in LEO, surpassing the size of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker-3 prototype launched two years ago. Match the size.
The Texas-based venture, which continues in-orbit health checks of the spacecraft in preparation for U.S. operations, will test the service using radio frequencies from communications partners AT&T and Verizon. requires regulatory approval, he said.
AST SpaceMobile decided to initially focus on helping U.S. carriers connect subscribers outside of cell phone range from space, but the company has received permission to test radio frequencies in other countries. It says that there are.
Like competing direct-to-smartphone constellation developers SpaceX and Lynk Global, AST SpaceMobile requires permission from the Federal Communications Commission to offer commercial services in the United States.
SpaceX has launched more than 100 direct-to-smartphone communication satellites and has partnered with T-Mobile in the US. The companies recently received temporary permission from the FCC to allow them to send emergency alerts and text messages after hurricanes destroyed cell towers in North Carolina and Florida.
Lynk Global has not announced any U.S. communications partners, but it has launched commercial services in a handful of island nations, and the venture enables intermittent space-based connectivity with LEO’s five satellites.
According to AST SpaceMobile, five BlueBirds in LEO are enough to provide less than one hour of intermittent connectivity per day in total in the United States.
The company is building satellites in-house and estimates it will need 45 to 60 satellites for continuous text, voice and data connectivity services in the country.
Starting next year, AST SpaceMobile plans to deploy Block 2 BlueBirds with 10 gigahertz of processing bandwidth per satellite. This is 10 times the capacity of Block 1 BlueBird and supports peak data rates of 120 Mbps.
Earlier this week, the Space Development Agency selected AST SpaceMobile and 18 other companies to participate in the Hybrid Acquisition for Happening Low Orbit (HALO), a program aimed at accelerating satellite technology development.
