New York, January 5, 2026, 10:02 a.m. ET — Regular session
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. shares rose in morning trade on Monday, with investors digesting fresh signs the satellite maker is pushing its next launch along. The stock was up 1.1% at $84.43, after trading between $81.22 and $85.63; it closed at $83.47 on Friday.
The move matters because AST’s valuation hinges on how quickly it can put enough large satellites into orbit to offer “direct-to-cell” service — meaning a satellite link that works with standard phones, without a dedicated satellite handset.
That deployment tempo is the near-term scorecard for traders. Each additional satellite reduces the gap between a technology demo and something carriers can sell at scale.
AST has kicked off a launch campaign for its upgraded BlueBird satellites, and the next satellite, BlueBird 7, has arrived in Florida ahead of integration with the launch vehicle, industry publication Via Satellite reported on Sunday. Via Satellite said the prior spacecraft, BlueBird 6, launched on Dec. 23 on an Indian rocket and carries a communications array of about 2,400 square feet; the company has said it plans to launch 45 to 60 satellites by the end of 2026, roughly every one to two months. Chief executive Abel Avellan called the latest launch “the transition to scaled deployment,” according to the report. Via Satellite
Other satellite-linked names were mixed: Iridium Communications rose 1.2%, while Globalstar fell 0.9% and Viasat was little changed; T-Mobile US, a wireless carrier with its own satellite ambitions, gained 0.3%.
Competition is tightening as carriers try to plug coverage gaps away from cell towers. T-Mobile markets “T‑Satellite with Starlink,” which uses “Direct to Cell” satellites for texting and select apps in outdoor areas, according to the carrier’s website. T-Mobile
But the downside case is familiar: launch schedules slip, hardware underperforms, or funding needs rise faster than expected. AST generated $4.4 million in revenue in 2024 and posted a net loss of about $300 million, according to LSEG data on Reuters.
For now, traders are likely to keep treating launch-readiness updates as the primary catalyst, with any confirmed date for BlueBird 7’s liftoff as the next test of momentum.
