NEW YORK, June 29, 2026, 07:01 EDT
- AST SpaceMobile, Inc. NASDAQ:ASTS traded at $77.94 premarket, gaining 9.08%. The stock settled at $71.45 on Friday, rising 8.88%.
- Short interest was 62.49 million shares as of June 15, equal to 24.09% of the public float. That’s about 135 times the premarket volume recorded at 7:01 a.m. EDT.
- Nasdaq 100 E-minis gained 1.02%, but ASTS moved well past the index.
- AST is planning to launch the next BlueBird batch in the first half of August, with BlueBirds 8-10 having entered orbit on June 17.
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. NASDAQ:ASTS traded higher in premarket action Monday, though the short side looked more crowded. MarketWatch’s delayed quote at 7:01 a.m. EDT showed 461,440 shares traded before the bell. Short interest was reported at 62.49 million shares as of June 15, or 24.09% of public float, according to the same MarketWatch page.
MarketWatch’s tape had it set up like this:
| ASTS tape item | Latest read |
|---|---|
| Premarket quote at 7:01 a.m. EDT | $77.94, up $6.49, up 9.08% |
| Friday closing price | $71.45, up $5.83, up 8.88% |
| Pre-market volume | 461,440 shares |
| Friday full-session volume | 22.24 million shares |
| 65-day average volume | 21.88 million shares |
| Short interest as of June 15 | 62.49 million shares |
| Short interest percent of float | 24.09% |
The ratio is important. Premarket volume came in at about 2.1% of AST’s 65-day average. Short interest sat at about 2.9 days’ worth of average trading. A 7 a.m. gap alone does not point to broad short covering.
The stock’s early move outpaced the main averages. Reuters said U.S. stock futures traded stronger at 5:00 a.m. ET, with Nasdaq 100 E-minis up 1.02%, S&P 500 E-minis gaining 0.68%, and Dow E-minis adding 0.30%.
| Pre-open marker | Move |
|---|---|
| AST SpaceMobile up before the bell | +9.08% |
| Nasdaq 100 E-minis higher | +1.02% |
| S&P 500 E-minis edge up | +0.68% |
| Dow E-minis post small gain | +0.30% |
Nasdaq says its next full market holiday in 2026 is July 3, not June 29. That means Monday’s session will be the first full trading day to see if the premarket action can turn into actual volume.
AST hasn’t put out a new launch update in the past day, but its last announcement still sets the tone. On June 23, the company said BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 are aimed for a Cape Canaveral launch on a Falcon 9 in the first half of August. BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10, which went up June 17, are up and running in orbit, according to AST.
“With each successful launch, we move closer to our goal of making space-based cellular broadband accessible,” AST SpaceMobile president Scott Wisniewski said in the June 23 release. Business Wire
Abel Avellan, founder and CEO of AST, told Via Satellite after the June 17 launch that the first stacked launch is “just the beginning.” Avellan said the company is focused on getting ramped up for launch cadence, manufacturing, and preparing for commercial service. Via Satellite
AST said its newer BlueBird satellites come with arrays around 2,400 square feet. BlueBirds 11 through 13 are set to almost double the top data speeds of the Block 1 BlueBirds, which recently hit 98.9 Mbps download direct to ordinary smartphones.
ASTS hasn’t shaken off last month’s hit. MarketWatch put the stock down 32.37% for the month and still off 1.62% for the year, despite notching a 52.90% gain in the past year. Shares traded between $36.08 and $133.86 over the last 52 weeks, and the premarket quote at $77.94 sits around 42% below the high.
For investors, it’s more than just waiting for AST to name a new launch date. With thin volume in the regular session, any gap risks sparking a squeeze or letting a light premarket swing take the stock. Any news about delays or orbits can move the stock before revenue arrives.
