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AST SpaceMobile plans a multi-launcher campaign averaging one orbital launch every one to two months during 2026.
AST SpaceMobile is 95% vertically integrated with all major manufacturing processes under U.S. control in Texas.
AST SpaceMobile scheduled the BlueBird 7 launch for late February from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Blue Origin’s New Glenn.
Blue Origin and AST SpaceMobile have multiple launch contracts.
New Glenn mission NG-3 will carry AST SpaceMobile's Block 2 BlueBird communications satellite to low Earth orbit.
Blue Origin, led by Jeff Bezos, will launch AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellite using its New Glenn rocket in late February 2026.
AST SpaceMobile reports that it is about 95 percent vertically integrated, keeping all major manufacturing processes under U.S. control and concentrating its headquarters and primary facilities in Texas.
The SHIELD IDIQ contract makes AST SpaceMobile an eligible provider to bid directly on future MDA task orders.
AST SpaceMobile's selection under SHIELD reflects U.S. government interest in leveraging commercial low Earth orbit infrastructure as a core element of integrated deterrence and defense.
Under the SHIELD multi-award construct, AST SpaceMobile is eligible to compete for task orders covering research, development, engineering, prototyping, and operational support for Missile Defense Agency systems.
AST SpaceMobile is building a space-based cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with everyday smartphones while also supporting government users that require resilient communications and sensing solutions in contested environments.
AST SpaceMobile's low-Earth orbit satellite architecture features the largest commercial phased arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit.
AST SpaceMobile employs close to 1,800 people worldwide, most of them in West Texas.
As SHIELD task orders are released and competed, AST SpaceMobile will seek opportunities to apply its commercial satellite capabilities to government-focused demonstrations and operational deployments.
AST SpaceMobile plans to integrate its SHIELD participation with ongoing development of its BlueBird satellite line and SpaceMobile service architecture.
AST SpaceMobile is developing on-orbit, dual-use satellite technology for both commercial connectivity and defense applications.
AST SpaceMobile's technology platform is protected by more than 3,800 patents and pending patent claims spanning spacecraft design, large deployable phased arrays, network architecture, and direct-to-device protocols.
AST SpaceMobile expects missile defense-related research, prototyping, and operations experience to feed back into the performance, resiliency, and security features of its commercial service.
AST SpaceMobile states that its low Earth orbit constellation approach aligns with the Missile Defense Agency's shift toward more distributed and survivable architectures for command and control, battle management, and advanced sensing.
AST SpaceMobile operates nearly 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and operations space.