New York, January 27, 2026, 15:14 EST — Regular session
- AST SpaceMobile shares climbed roughly 4.6% during afternoon trading
- Industry watchers are raising concerns about the company’s ability to meet its 2026 satellite launch schedule
- Investors are zeroing in on the BlueBird 7 launch set for late February, along with the upcoming earnings report in early March
Shares of AST SpaceMobile Inc climbed 4.6% to $109.63 during Tuesday afternoon trading. The satellite-to-smartphone firm remains in the spotlight as investors watch closely for its upcoming launch and how quickly it rolls out new satellites.
The near-term story remains largely the same: investors are focused on the timeline. AST aims to create a “direct-to-device” satellite network — allowing regular phones to connect to satellites without any extra hardware — but coverage hinges on how quickly it can launch enough satellites into orbit.
AST plans to launch BlueBird 7, its second next-gen satellite, in late February, following BlueBird 6’s lift-off just before Christmas. The company has informed partners and investors it wants to maintain a launch pace of one to two months throughout the year, targeting 45 to 60 satellites in orbit by the close of 2026, according to industry reports. 1
Blue Origin, set to fly the mission aboard its New Glenn rocket, announced the launch is planned for “no earlier than late February.” CEO Dave Limp identified AST as a customer for the NG-3 flight. 2
But a Light Reading report on Tuesday flagged the year-end target as a long shot, pointing to the mismatch between launches so far and what’s needed in the months left. Satellite analyst Tim Farrar, president of TMF Associates, didn’t mince words on the interim goal of five launches by the end of March: “That’s not happening.” Novaspace consultant Sumaiya Najarali called the target “definitely ambitious,” saying the first quarter’s results will be crucial. The report also noted that the constellation’s size will be key in determining how quickly partners like AT&T and Verizon can expand direct-to-device services, while SpaceX’s Starlink already has a deal with T-Mobile. 3
AST chief operating officer Shanti Gupta filed an amended Form 4 on Monday to fix an earlier overstatement of his direct holdings by 50,000 shares. He called it an administrative error that also affected later disclosures. 4
Separately, Pomerantz LLP announced on Tuesday that it is launching an investigation into claims on behalf of investors in AST SpaceMobile. 5
The bigger wildcard for the stock is whether launch dates get pushed back again—due to weather, rocket prep, or slot availability—and if AST can convert early coverage into a service customers actually pay for, rather than just a niche extra.
Key events loom on the horizon: BlueBird 7’s launch window opens in late February, with quarterly results due in early March. Investors will be watching closely for a more precise outlook on how many launches—and satellites per launch—AST can actually pull off this year.
