New York, Jan 23, 2026, 19:57 EST — After-hours trading.
- AST SpaceMobile shares dropped 2.4% during Friday’s regular trading and slipped further in after-hours.
- The company aims to launch its BlueBird 7 satellite on Blue Origin’s New Glenn-3 in late February.
- Investors are debating if AST can maintain a steady launch pace through 2026 as it moves closer to commercial service.
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) shares dipped during after-hours Friday, easing off a volatile week as the market weighed the updated launch schedule for the company’s upcoming satellite. The stock ended regular trading down 2.4% at $113.57 and was last seen slipping another 0.3% to $113.19. (StockAnalysis)
The timing is crucial since AST’s pitch is straightforward and tough: deploy enough satellites to transform regular phones into satellite phones once cell towers go down. Traders have zeroed in on launch dates as the closest thing to a scoreboard.
AST dubs it “direct-to-device” service, with satellites functioning like cell towers in orbit. The key is launching the hardware on time and demonstrating it can operate at scale.
AST announced Thursday that BlueBird 7 is set for a late February launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn-3 from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company aims to maintain a “multi-launcher” schedule, targeting one orbital launch every one to two months throughout 2026. They’re on track to deploy between 45 and 60 satellites by year’s end. “This launch advances our mission to bring space-based cellular broadband connectivity to everyday smartphones,” AST President Scott Wisniewski said in a statement. (Business Wire)
Blue Origin also announced that New Glenn’s upcoming flight will deliver AST’s next-gen Block 2 BlueBird satellite into low Earth orbit, targeting a launch “no earlier than” late February. “We’re proud to have AST SpaceMobile as our customer on NG-3,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp. (Blue Origin)
AST’s comments on its schedule have sparked trading interest as the company shifts focus from one-off satellite milestones to regular launches and, down the line, commercial coverage. Establishing a reliable launch rhythm would also give investors a clearer sense of how fast the constellation might expand.
Delays are nothing new in space ventures. Launch dates often slip due to readiness issues, weather, or problems with the rocket itself. Any postponement would push back AST’s coverage timeline and leave the stock exposed to headline risk.
As U.S. markets reopen Monday, investors will be closely watching for updates on the late-February target and any signals from either company about New Glenn-3’s launch readiness as the window draws near.
