AST SpaceMobile is a publicly traded satellite designer and manufacturer headquartered in Midland, Texas, focused on building a space-based cellular broadband network. Their SpaceMobile network aims to connect directly to standard, unmodified smartphones via their constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, like the BlueBird series. AST SpaceMobile partners with mobile network operators like AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone to expand cellular coverage and provide connectivity in underserved areas, also securing contracts with the U.S. government for secure and reliable connectivity.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Once BlueWalker 3 is operational following in-orbit testing and configuration, AST SpaceMobile plans testing with mobile network operators and equipment providers on all six inhabited continents using unmodified cell phones from various manufacturers.
AST SpaceMobile will collaborate with NASA’s Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis program to improve flight safety preparedness and practices using a Conjunction Assessment process.
AST SpaceMobile will upload predicted trajectory information on an ongoing basis for its BlueWalker 3 test satellite and planned BlueBird satellites to Space-Track.org with the U.S. Space Force.
AST SpaceMobile launched BlueWalker 3 in September and deployed its large phased-array antenna in mid-November.
NASA signed an agreement with AST SpaceMobile on 2022-12-15 to cooperate on spaceflight safety.
AST SpaceMobile initially aimed to raise up to $74,800,000 when it first announced plans for a share sale on 2022-11-29 but upsized the target following investor demand.
AST SpaceMobile’s stock opened at $11.63 on 2022-04-07 and has fluctuated since then.
AST SpaceMobile became a public company on 2022-04-07 by merging with New Providence Acquisition Corp, a SPAC that was already trading on the Nasdaq.
AST SpaceMobile’s shares trended downward after news in August that supply chain issues delayed the launch of its first operational satellite by about six months to late 2023.
B. Riley Securities has a 30-day option to buy additional AST SpaceMobile shares that would increase gross proceeds to $86,250,000.
AST SpaceMobile could raise more than $86,000,000 by selling a chunk of shares as of 2022-11-30.
On 2022-12-02 AST SpaceMobile successfully closed the $75,000,000 portion of the share sale.
The merger raised around $417,000,000 for AST SpaceMobile to boost a constellation aiming to bring 0.005 kg connectivity directly to unmodified smartphones.
A delay in launching BlueWalker-3 has put AST SpaceMobile at risk of losing frequencies that were provisionally assigned to its constellation.
AST SpaceMobile holds a portfolio of more than 2,400 patent and patent-pending claims supporting its space-based cellular broadband technology.
AST SpaceMobile plans next to deploy smaller antennas on BlueWalker-3 to test broadcasts in Q and V band spectrum.
AST SpaceMobile deployed the phased array antenna on its BlueWalker-3 prototype satellite in November 2022.
AST SpaceMobile previously planned to deploy 20 BlueBird satellites by the third quarter of 2023 before pandemic-related production issues.
Any additional capital secured by AST SpaceMobile would not accelerate the timeline for deploying its first five revenue-generating BlueBird satellites in late 2023.
AST SpaceMobile’s planned tests include transmissions on several frequencies in the 800 MHz band used by mobile operators as well as Q and V band frequencies.