AST SpaceMobile is now creating parts for 17 new, larger satellites that can connect directly to smartphones.
The company raised more money after its stock price went up, thanks to Verizon investing and selling shares, leaving them with $288 million in cash by June 30. This was a 35% increase from the previous quarter, despite production costs.
CEO Abel Avellan announced on an August 14 call that the first of these new satellites, called Block 2 BlueBirds, will be ready to launch by early 2025. Depending on the launch setup, four of these satellites could go up at once to low Earth orbit (LEO).
These Block 2 BlueBirds will be much bigger than the five Block 1 BlueBirds launching next month on a Falcon 9 rocket. While the Block 1 versions have solar panels spanning 64 square meters, the new ones will cover about 223 square meters each.
AST SpaceMobile is making its own chips for the sixth Block 2 BlueBird and beyond, which will let each satellite handle 10 gigahertz of data, ten times more than the first Block 1 versions.
However, the company did not reveal how the Block 2 would perform without these special chips, which aim to support peak data rates of 120 megabits per second.
Both types of BlueBirds are based on the older BlueWalker 3 model in LEO, which has shown over 21 Mbps download speeds in tests with regular smartphones.
While just five Block 1 BlueBirds can cover the entire U.S., AST SpaceMobile says they need 45-60 satellites for non-stop text, voice, and data coverage. They plan to expand globally by working with other mobile operators.
We all like to stay connected, don’t we?
The company is now close to 95% vertical integration for its satellites, according to Avellan, reducing costs and speeding up production. They’ve spent seven years and over $1 billion to get here, amassing over 3,400 patents and pending claims.
CFO Andy Johnson mentioned they’re seeking prepayments from cellular partners and financing from state-backed export credit agencies, rather than selling more shares. This helps them keep people connected even when cell towers are far away.
On August 5, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave AST SpaceMobile the green light to launch and operate five Block 1 BlueBirds in early September. But they’re still in talks with the FCC about testing their service using certain cellular frequencies in the U.S.
The FCC also hasn’t decided on their plan to add 243 more satellites to improve coverage. Along with competitors SpaceX and Lynk Global, AST SpaceMobile is waiting for permission to offer commercial services to regular smartphones in the U.S.
On August 15, AST SpaceMobile’s shares jumped by 50.7%, closing at $31.36 on NASDAQ.
