AST SpaceMobile rises after announcing June 17 launch date for its BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 satellites
AST SpaceMobile is up 6% in the premarket action just before the start of regular trading, after the space-based cellular broadband network operator announced that its Bluebird 8, 9, and 10 satellites will be launched on June 17 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Adding its BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 to its constellation, each satellite featuring the largest commercial communication array ever of ~2,400 square feet, is expected to further expand AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-device broadband reach and nearly double the peak data speeds compared to its own initial Block 1 BlueBird satellites, per the company’s press release.
The company has seen its shares plummet in recent weeks after a Blue Origin rocket, which was to carry AST’s Block 2 BlueBird satellite, exploded while testing.