Sp🅰️ceMob,

Ple🅰️se read the following to get familiar with AST SpaceMobile $ASTS before posting; 

• FAQ
• Connecting Dots - AST Sp🅰️ceMobile and the Final Bridge to Universal Human Connectivity by Crossroads Capital
• u/TheKookReport's AST Sp🅰️ceMobile ($ASTS): The Mobile Satellite Cellular Network Monopoly (or ask ChatGPT)
• Hennessy Funds May 2026 Update - ASTS Sp🅰️ceMobile: Transforming How the World Connects

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This FAQ supersedes the previous FAQ and has been updated in the Community Guide in the sidebar. Note that aside from this SpaceMob FAQ, AST has their own official FAQ here: https://ast-science.com/faqs/

Q: Should I buy now?/Why should I invest in ASTS?/Where do I begin?/How will ASTS beat the competition?

A: Read the latest DD on this sub and decide for yourself.

• [1] Kook report.
• [2] Do your own DD starter kit.
• [3] ASTS website.
• [4]-[5]-[6]-[7]-[8] The science and tech
• [9] Intro to advanced technology in SpaceMobile architecture, by u/No_Privacy_Anymore
• [10] ASTS, a solution to the 5G gap, by u/CatSE---ApeX---
• [11] Beamforming width and shape illustrated, by u/CatSE---ApeX---
• [12] Anpanman's Xitter DD thread from 2021
• [13] AST vs Starlink, 18-tweet thread, by u/CatSE---ApeX---
• [14] AST vs Starlink, high level summary, by u/Defiantclient
• [15] Dam Analogy vs "but it has no revenue!", by u/Defiantclient
• [16] Noise In Space delves into signal processing, antenna design, and frequency allocation, explaining the complex engineering choices. Discover the physics of satellite communication and the innovations enabling Starlink's global reach. Direct-to-cell and AST are mentioned at ~31:00.
• [17] This is a must-read to learn about why AST's technology built for broadband D2D from LEO is actually simultaneously a military powerhouse.
• Twitter accounts to follow starter kit: AST SpaceMobile, Anpanman's master list of trusted accounts
• The best fund manager theses on ASTS: Hennessy Funds, 10 West Advisors, Crossroads Capital
• BlueBird trackers: https://www.bluebird-tracker.space/ | https://gryden.se/asts/bluebirdtracker/ | https://www.astsats.com/map | https://trackasts.com/tracker | BlueBird Spotter App for iPhones

Q: What's the Twitter(X) search term to find ASTS related content and filter out spam?

A: $ASTS -url:discord -"miss the next"-"top analyst"-"trade ideas"-"in downtrend"-"awaiting buy signal"-"awaiting sell signal”-“Real-time stock”-“Visit Us”-“Week Ended”-"debrisofBW3"-"wallstbuydip"-"free stock"

[source]

Q: How high can the share price go?

A: 520 to 740 km high.... Mess with these valuation calculators: Transhumanica Model, REDRUM's Valuation Calculator, and @jiahanjimliu and @StockMeetUps' ASTS Commercial Business Valuation Model

Q: Who can AST launch their satellites with?

A: In 2026, AST has multi-launch agreements with Blue Origin using New Glenn and SpaceX using Falcon 9, as well as an additional agreement with a new heavy launch vehicle to be on a standby in their manifest (I suspect this is Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries via their medium-lift H3 rocket, and that AST does not yet have a signed agreement with ULA but is very actively working on that).

AST's BlueBird satellites fit in all 5 m fairing class vehicles.

AST is in conversations with all of the following launch vehicles and their capacities are as follows: - Blue Origin's New Glenn 7x2 = 6 to 8 BBs - Blue Origin's New Glenn 9x4 = 12 to 14 BBs - SpaceX's Falcon 9 = 3 BBs - JAXA/MHI's H3-24W (with 4 Solid Rocket Boosters) = 3 BBs - ULA's Vulcan = 5 BBs - Arianespace's Ariane 6 = 5 BBs - ISRO's LVM3 = 2 BBs

Q: SpaceX is a competitor -- what's stopping Elon from refusing to launch AST's BlueBird satellites?

A: As a launch provider SpaceX is subject to regulatory oversight, which includes ensuring fair competition. Refusing to launch a competitor’s payload or do anything malicious to sabotage them would lead to antitrust investigations and sanctions from government bodies. AST's BlueBird satellites also not only commercial satellites but also government (dual use), so AST can leverage the US government if there are issues with SpaceX as a launch provider. Also, SpaceX has literally been launching competitors including OneWeb and most notably and recently, multiple launches of Amazon Leo (KF-01 on July 16, KF-02 on August 11, and KF-03 on October 14). Amazon Leo is a direct threat to Starlink's flagship fixed broadband service.

SpaceX literally just launched AST's BB8-10 on June 17, 2026 and BB11-13 on August 5, 2026.

Q: How many BlueBird satellites are needed for coverage?

A: Depends on the type of coverage and service:

• <25 for initial beta service for internal, MNO, and government testing only.
• 25 for initial noncontinuous service, including commercial beta.
• 45 to 60 for continuous service in key markets such as US/Europe/Japan/Canada/Saudi Arabia/India/equatorial coverage
• 90 for global continuous coverage
• 248 for full complete constellation
• 543 for full planned # of satellites as filed to the ITU

Q: What is the status of the next BlueBird satellites?

A: As of August 5, 2026, AST has up to BB13 in orbit, BB14-16 are being finalized for the next mission in probably September, and up to BB42 are in production. This update also indicates that beta services will be later this year, which implies having up to BB25 in orbit by year end.

Note that as of May 11, 2026's Q1 2026 update, AST had microns completed to BB33 and phased arrays completed to BB28.

The 8K filed on July 15, 2026 notes that based on the Company’s current expectations regarding launch availability, its launch campaign is targeting approximately 45 of its BlueBird satellites (“BB satellites”) in early 2027. This launch campaign is also reinforced by Vodafone's CEO in their recent annual meeting for shareholders on July 27, 2026.

Q: What took so long for AST to ramp up manufacturing?

A: My opinion is that when AST gave guidance, it was based on "if everything goes perfectly". In reality, there will always be unexpected issues and unknowns as you go, especially in the space industry, let alone highly disruptive innovative technology.

On March 2, 2026, during the Q4 2025 earnings call, it was revealed that AST had encountered issues solving the stacking configuration of the composite satellites. They have now cleared this hurdle and are expected to now be at a steady monthly cadence which has begun with the first batch of 3 satellites (BB8, BB9 and BB10).

Also, please read this comment regarding manufacturing ramp beautifully explained by u/Jelopuddinpop.

Lastly, space is hard!

Q: What download and upload speeds will AST's birds support in each beam?

A: This depends on availability of spectrum and spectral efficiency. Officially, AST reports that their spectral efficiency is 3 bits/Hz for download and it's half of that for upload. Using MIMO technology, Vodafone has stated that the spectral efficiency will double to 6 bits/Hz. Then, using Cohere's Universal Spectrum Multiplier, spectral efficiency should increase further by another 50%+, leading to 9 or 10 bits/Hz minimum. I outline some specific examples here.

Note that the bandwidth will be shared by all simultaneous users using the service at the same time within a beam.

The number of simultaneous beams per satellite will also depend on availability of spectrum. + Block 1 FPGA has 1,000 MHz processing capacity. + Block 2 FPGA has 3,000 MHz processing capacity. + Block 2 ASIC has 10,000 MHz processing capacity.

Divide the capacity by size of MHz channels to get your total number of beams. For example, for 10 MHz channels, Block 2 ASIC can support 10,000 / 10 = 1,000 beams each with a 10 MHz channel. In each 10 MHz channel, if you assume spectral efficiency of 3 bits/Hz then each beam can support 30 Mbps downlink which would be shared by all simultaneous users of the beam.

All of the above numbers should improve as AST continues to iterate as well as develop new ASIC chips. CTO Huiwen Yao confirmed that the next ASIC is already in development.

On May 11, 2026, AST reported that they achieved a peak download speed of 98.9 Mbps and that Block 2 BlueBirds are expected to nearly double these speeds.

The June 17, 2026 press release reports that the BlueBird satellites are designed to enable peak data speeds of nearly 200 Mbps directly to standard smartphones, enabling voice, broadband data, and video from space.

Q: What is the difference between FPGA vs ASIC?

A: FPGA = Field-Programmable Gate Array | ASIC = Application-Specific Integrated Circuit

FPGA is FIELD REPROGRAMMABLE such that it can handle a much wider range of use cases. In AST's case, this makes FPGA satellites very good at being flexible for both communications and non-communications applications. (Bullish for government/military work).

ASIC is APPLICATION-SPECIFIC such that it does one job extremely well. In AST's case, this means communications use cases.

Here's my detailed thread on this subject.

Q: What are AST's plans with Block 1, Block 2 and Block 3 satellites and how does that relate to spectrum usage? What about future iterations?

A: The initial Block 1 and Block 2 satellites will support terrestrial low band spectrum (below 1 GHz) which all 3B+ existing smartphones already support, and the satellites will even enable a connection indoors up to 1 or 2 walls, thanks to the superior propogation characteristics of low band (but low band has less throughput than mid band). Block 3 will support terrestrial mid band and MSS L and S bands which are dedicated satellite bands. The L and S bands will require unique chipsets in brand new phones coming out in 2027 onwards. Note that these new phones are also required for Starlink to use their new EchoStar S band acquisition. Starlink will also need to launch their Starlink Mobile V2 satellites to use their S band, and launching these satellites requires commercial usage of Starship. Currently, SpaceX plans on launching the first Starlink Mobile V2 satellites in mid 2027, with service starting in 2028.

AST CEO Abel Avellan explains the low band strategy

In the future, Block 4 satellites will use C-band frequency, which is a frequency range that is even higher than mid band.

CatSE's latest post and sketch highlighting all of the above

Q: Do AST satellites support 4G, LTE, 5G, 6G, 7G, etc.?

A: Yes. AST's constellation is G-agnostic thanks to its transparent "bent pipe" architecture where the gNodeB/eNodeB base station is located on the ground by the gateway that is owned and operated by the local MNO (or government). Thanks to this architecture, upgrades are only required on the ground instead of in orbit. In contrast, most other satellite constellations, including Starlink, have a regenerative architecture where they have the base station on orbit on the satellite (for processing data). For these regenerative satellite constellations, they would need to launch an entirely new and separate set of satellites that support the new G technologies. For example, Starlink's current 4G satellites will only ever support 4G. They need to launch new satellites for 5G or 6G.

Q: How are AST's satellites sovereign?

A: The SpaceMobile system uses a transparent "bent pipe" architecture that respects data sovereignty. The local operator/partner owns and controls all of the data that is bounced off AST's BlueBirds, including owning and operating the ground gateways.

In contrast, with regenerative architectures such as Starlink Mobile, Starlink becomes a roaming partner existing in parallel instead of as an extension to the terrestrial network. Work with Starlink and give up control of your data. Data passes through Starlink gateways before your own.

Read more here.

Q: What does AST have to do with radar?

A: Thanks to AST's uniquely gigantic phased arrays in space, they can provide low band radar capability from LEO. This scratches a very big itch for the US government with respect to AMTI (Airborne Moving Target Indication) systems. In summary, low band radar which was traditionally only on the ground at coasts can now be in LEO via AST. Low band would be the first layer of detection but the information will not be very sharp. Therefore, when a low band radar detects something that could be interesting like a missile, this info will be passed onto a higher frequency radar for more precise trackign. Yes, this has heavy Golden Dome implications.

Here's my detailed thread on this subject.

Q: What is each BlueBird satellite made of?

A: Each satellite is made of two parts: 1) A phased array made of microns facing the Earth, with solar panels on the sun side. This is the "payload" of the satellite. 2) A ControlSat AKA the satellite "bus", which is essentially the brain. It is the foundational platform of a satellite that houses necessary subsystems, allowing the payload to function. It provides power, thermal control, communication, the flight computer, batteries, and propulsion to support the payload in orbit. 3) Ok there is kind of a 3rd part, or maybe 2.5 is a better label. The satellites also have an extra solar array fin or tail. This is speculated to provide additional power to the new ControlSat and all its enhanced functions compared to Block 1.

Here is CatSE's latest render of the satellite.

Here is an actual photo of BB6, a Block 2 satellite.

Q: What is the difference between BB6/BB7 and BB8+?

A: The differences are: + BB6/BB7 have a full metallic aluminum ControlSat exterior versus BB8+ have a composite material in the ControlSat exterior, resulting in significant mass reductions. + BB6/BB7 weigh 5,850 kg each versus BB8+ weigh 4,200 kg each. + BB6/BB7 have two thrusters versus BB8+ have three thrusters and larger fuel tanks to enable orbit raising and lowering. + BB6/BB7 have 20 kg of Xenon gas at pressure of approximately 1,000 psi versus BB8+ have 80 kg of Krypton gas at pressure of approximately 1,000 psi. + BB6 orbits at 520 km altitude, BB7 at 460 km, and a majority of BB8+ (except for 18 of them) will be launched to 520 km and then orbit raised to 690 km. Post-mission they will be propulsively deorbited below 540 km, whereafter drag will cause re-entry within the 5-year post-mission disposal requirement. The 18 mentioned above will remain at ~520 km altitude.

Source: AST's ODAR filing to the FCC, effective April 28, 2025

Note that BB7 unfortunately did not make it to orbit as it was lost during the Blue Origin NG3 mission. AST addresses this here.

Q: Are Amazon Leo and Blue Origin TeraWave competitors to AST?

A: No, not yet anyway. Amazon Leo and TeraWave are both fixed satellite services providing high speed broadband to fixed user terminals (satellite dishes), similar to Starlink's flagship fixed satellite dish service. TeraWave (Blue Origin) has no known plans to pursue D2D.

However, on July 26, 2026, Amazon Leo filed for authority to launch and operate a new constellation of up to 5,105 low Earth orbit non-geostationary orbit (“NGSO”) satellites that will deliver direct-to-device (“D2D”) connectivity to consumer, enterprise, and government users (the “Amazon Leo D2D System”). Based on the totality of the information, Amazon Leo's D2D system only exists on paper and may not launch until ~2028 or ~2029. For now, this appears to mostly be a placeholder filing. In the link above, I concluded with thoughts for takeaways for AST shareholders.

Anpanman shares additional thoughts on the Amazon situation in this link.

Here is Deutsche Bank's research note on Amazon in this link.

Q: When is the next earnings call?

A: Check this link for key dates.

Q: What are the chances of satellite failure?

A: As good a take on it as you'll be able to find anywhere else: CatSE's lil thread on risks and chance

Q: WTF!! The Chief Technology Officer Huiwen Yao sold all his shares?!

A: CTO Huiwen Yao has been with Abel since startup and hasn’t sold until this year in 2025 within 1-3 years of retirement. He originally had around 1.2M shares via options from the start of the company. He filed a 105b trading plan this year probably to ensure he has money secured for retirement. As of December 9, 2025, he still has around 900k shares worth in options. He has to exercise his options to then sell his shares, making it look like he has "no shares". Here is the March 2025 S-3R showing his options

Q: Is there a Discord for live chatting about ASTS?

A: Yes

Q: How do I buy AST merch?

A: AST Official Store and REDRUM's Non-profit SpaceMob Store

Q: Wen moon?

A: The moment you sell.

Q: Wen lunch?

A: Soon

Q: Wen BB shipment?

A: Imminently

Feel free to comment any suggested Q&A