NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 13:59 ET — Regular session
- AST SpaceMobile shares rose in afternoon trade after an update on BlueBird 6’s start of operations
- COO Shanti B Gupta told PTI the satellite should begin operations “in the coming weeks”
- Investors are focused on on-orbit checkout and launch cadence into early 2026
AST SpaceMobile Inc shares rose on Monday after its chief operating officer said the company’s latest BlueBird 6 satellite should begin operations in the coming weeks.
The timing matters because investors are looking for signs the direct-to-smartphone satellite venture is moving from launch headlines to working service. The stock has traded on milestone updates as the company ramps toward a larger constellation.
AST is aiming to deliver “space-based cellular broadband,” which means a satellite link that connects directly to standard smartphones without special user equipment when they are outside terrestrial coverage.
Shares were up about 1.2% at $72.78, after trading between $69.80 and $74.87 earlier in the session. Volume was about 8.8 million shares.
In a report carried by India’s PTI, AST SpaceMobile COO Shanti B Gupta said, “In the coming weeks, it will start operations,” referring to BlueBird 6. He said the company anticipated about five BlueBird launches by the end of the first quarter of 2026 and planned launches roughly every two months. ETTelecom.com
AST said last week that BlueBird 6, its first next-generation satellite, lifted off from India late on December 23 and reached orbit.
The company said the spacecraft carries a communications array spanning nearly 2,400 square feet — about three times larger than the earlier BlueBird satellites — and is designed to support 4G and 5G broadband directly to unmodified smartphones.
AST said the launch keeps it on track to deploy 45–60 satellites by the end of 2026, with launches planned every one or two months on average.
Commissioning is the post-launch checkout process, when operators deploy key hardware and run early tests before declaring a satellite ready for service. For AST, that on-orbit validation is a key de-risking step as it pushes toward more frequent launches.
The company is one of several chasing direct-to-device connectivity from space, a field that includes SpaceX’s Starlink effort and established satellite operators such as Globalstar and Iridium.
Investors are now watching for updates on BlueBird 6’s on-orbit deployment and early link tests, along with any detail on manufacturing output and launch bookings for the next satellites.
Monday’s wide intraday range underscored how tightly the shares remain tied to satellite milestones, with traders quick to react to timeline signals as the constellation buildout moves into 2026.
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