New York, January 30, 2026, 18:54 EST — After-hours
AST SpaceMobile shares dropped 8.9% on Friday, closing near $111.21 in after-hours trading. Roughly 19.7 million shares traded hands during the session. The S&P 500 ETF SPY slipped about 0.4%, while the Nasdaq 100 ETF QQQ saw minimal movement.
The drop followed a disclosure that The Vanguard Group held 21,488,180 shares, representing 7.68% of AST’s common stock as of Dec. 31, according to an amended Schedule 13G filing. Vanguard reported no sole voting or dispositive power, but shared voting power over 1,832,650 shares and shared dispositive power over the entire stake.
What makes this moment critical is that AST faces a crucial period where execution updates could move the stock. The company aims to launch BlueBird 7 in late February and maintains its target of rolling out commercial direct-to-device service in 2026. “This launch advances our mission to bring space-based satellite broadband connectivity to everyday smartphones as we progress towards launching commercial services in 2026,” said company president Scott Wisniewski. Telecoms
The schedule remains uncertain. AST warned the launch date could shift due to readiness, weather, or other issues outside its control. Still, the company aims for a busy 2026, planning to deploy 45–60 satellites by year-end.
Schedules 13D and 13G reveal “beneficial ownership”—meaning voting or investment control—in public companies. Schedule 13G is mainly for institutional or passive investors and usually involves lighter reporting duties than Schedule 13D. Investor.gov
AST’s trajectory is closely linked to its partnerships and a growing satellite-to-phone sector. In November, Vodafone and AST announced plans for a Europe-focused satellite constellation aimed at enabling satellite-to-smartphone connections. At the same time, SpaceX’s Starlink has been advancing its direct-to-cellphone agreements, according to Reuters.
Friday’s Vanguard filing reflects positions as of year-end but doesn’t specify when the stake was accumulated. Given the stock’s history of wild daily swings, any update on ownership can quickly move the needle.
The next key figure for investors focused on fundamentals will probably be the company’s upcoming quarterly report, which usually sheds light on cash burn, production speed, and rollout specifics. AST’s investor portal now features results up to Q3 2025.
In the short term, traders are eyeing follow-on ownership filings and signs of launch readiness as the late-February window nears, with U.S. markets reopening on Monday.
For ASTS, the immediate trigger will be whether BlueBird 7 hits its timeline—and if the company can maintain the launch pace planned for 2026.
