I hope these folks are thinking about Starship-level plans for service like this. This potentially could be a market bigger than Starlink, and launch demand bigger than Starlink, which would be super helpful for the fully reusable launch vehicles currently under development (Starship, New Glenn/Jarvis, Terran-R, Stoke, etc).Mobile service is a $1 trillion annual industry. Telecoms generally is $3-4 trillion.
MIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 29, 2022-- AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, provided revised timing guidance on the launch of its BlueWalker 3 test satellite from Cape Canaveral, FL.AST SpaceMobile was notified by SpaceX, its launch provider, of an updated launch window for early to mid-September, from the previously announced window targeting the week of August 15, 2022. There has been no change to BlueWalker 3 satellite preparations and the AST SpaceMobile team remains on schedule.
Getting BlueWalker 3 ready to leave Midland!
That's pretty disappointing coming from this forum. You will allow posts of PR marketing from a twitter feed but not discussion of the technical challenges the Kerrisdale report laid out?
“I would say we probably have an 18 month lead on this,” Stankey said in an interview Wednesday. “SpaceX is going to have to go through the same process. And they’re not going to have their satellite up for testing until the middle of next year.”<snip>“We are comfortable with our test data,” Stankey said. “The next step is to present our findings to the FCC, to support changing the license parameters.”
BW3 deployment date to be announced shortly. My teams are getting ready with me at our Maryland control center. BW3 is operating normally, sensors and actuators are ready. Solar conditions for deployment will become favorable starting late next week. #5G📶🌞🤠
While our Maryland team preps to unfold BlueWalker 3, the Midland team is tasked on BlueBirds planned for launch next year! Our two sites in Texas will have a combined 185,000 sq ft of space for manufacturing up to six BlueBirds per month. #5G 📶🇺🇸🤠
Reports on the Seesat mailing list suggest that AST Space Mobile's BlueWalker 3 satellite is now deploying its antenna array: observations showing it at mag 1 by Paul Maley
AST SpaceMobile $ASTS deployed the wide antenna array of its BlueWalker 3 test satellite, which partner AT&T $T noted is a "significant milestone" toward providing global 5G broadband service from space:
AST SpaceMobile stock jumps after company hits key milestone toward satellite-to-smartphone 5G servicePUBLISHED MON, NOV 14 20228:39 AM ESTMichael Sheetz@THESHEETZTWEETZKEY POINTSSatellite-to-smartphone connectivity venture AST SpaceMobile announced on Monday that the wide antenna of its recently launched test satellite deployed successfully.The unfolding of the BlueWalker 3 antenna marks a critical milestone in the company’s development of a global network to provide 5G broadband service directly to smartphones.The company is among multiple contenders trying to create such a worldwide service, an untapped market that’s long been a dream for satellite communications.
Here is $ASTS' animation of the satellite 693 sq ft antenna deploying, which the company calls the largest-ever array deployed in low Earth orbit.cnbc.com/2022/11/14/ast…
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221114005574/en/AST-SpaceMobile-Deploys-Largest-Ever-Commercial-Communications-Array-in-Low-Earth-OrbitQuoteAST SpaceMobile Deploys Largest-Ever Commercial Communications Array in Low Earth Orbit693-square foot array on Blue Walker 3 successfully completed deploymentNovember 14, 2022 07:01 AM Eastern Standard TimeMIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (“AST SpaceMobile”) (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, announced today that it had successfully completed deployment of the communications array for its test satellite, BlueWalker 3 (“BW3”), in orbit.“The successful unfolding of BlueWalker 3 is a major step forward for our patented space-based cellular broadband technology and paves the way for the ongoing production of our BlueBird satellites,” said @AbelAvellan, CEO of AST SpaceMobile.BW3 is the largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in low Earth orbit and is designed to communicate directly with cellular devices via 3GPP standard frequencies at 5G speeds. Now that it has been unfolded, the satellite spans 693 square feet in size, a design feature critical to support a space-based cellular broadband network. The satellite is expected to have a field of view of over 300,000 square miles on the surface of the Earth.The unfolding of BW3 was made possible by years of R&D, testing and operational preparation. AST SpaceMobile has a portfolio of more than 2,400 patent and patent-pending claims supporting its space-based cellular broadband technology. Additional details on the BlueWalker 3 mission can be seen in this video.“Every person should have the right to access cellular broadband, regardless of where they live or work. Our goal is to close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives around the world,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AST SpaceMobile. “The successful unfolding of BlueWalker 3 is a major step forward for our patented space-based cellular broadband technology and paves the way for the ongoing production of our BlueBird satellites.”AST SpaceMobile has agreements and understandings with mobile network operators (“MNOs”) globally that have over 1.8 billion existing subscribers, including a mutual exclusivity with Vodafone in 24 countries. Interconnecting with AST SpaceMobile’s planned network will allow MNOs, including Vodafone Group, Rakuten Mobile, AT&T, Bell Canada, MTN Group, Orange, Telefonica, Etisalat, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Millicom, Smartfren, Telecom Argentina, Telstra, Africell, Liberty Latin America and others, the ability to offer extended cellular broadband coverage to their customers who live, work and travel in areas with poor or non-existent cell coverage, with the goal of eliminating dead zones with cellular broadband from space.“We want to close coverage gaps in our markets, particularly in territories where terrain makes it extremely challenging to reach with a traditional ground-based network. Our partnership with AST SpaceMobile – connecting satellite directly to conventional mobile devices – will help in our efforts to close the digital divide,” said Luke Ibbetson, Head of Group R&D, Vodafone and an AST SpaceMobile director.Tareq Amin, CEO of Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony and an AST SpaceMobile director, added “Our mission is to democratize access to mobile connectivity: That is why we are so excited about the potential of AST SpaceMobile to support disaster-readiness and meet our goal of 100% geographical coverage to our customers in Japan. I look forward not only to testing BW3 on our world-leading cloud-native network in Japan, but also working with AST SpaceMobile on integrating our virtualized radio network technology to help bring connectivity to the world.”Chris Sambar, President – Network, AT&T, added “We’re excited to see AST SpaceMobile reach this significant milestone. AT&T’s core mission is connecting people to greater possibilities on the largest wireless network in America. Working with AST SpaceMobile, we believe there is a future opportunity to even further extend our network reach including to otherwise remote and off-grid locations.”
AST SpaceMobile Deploys Largest-Ever Commercial Communications Array in Low Earth Orbit693-square foot array on Blue Walker 3 successfully completed deploymentNovember 14, 2022 07:01 AM Eastern Standard TimeMIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (“AST SpaceMobile”) (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, announced today that it had successfully completed deployment of the communications array for its test satellite, BlueWalker 3 (“BW3”), in orbit.“The successful unfolding of BlueWalker 3 is a major step forward for our patented space-based cellular broadband technology and paves the way for the ongoing production of our BlueBird satellites,” said @AbelAvellan, CEO of AST SpaceMobile.BW3 is the largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in low Earth orbit and is designed to communicate directly with cellular devices via 3GPP standard frequencies at 5G speeds. Now that it has been unfolded, the satellite spans 693 square feet in size, a design feature critical to support a space-based cellular broadband network. The satellite is expected to have a field of view of over 300,000 square miles on the surface of the Earth.The unfolding of BW3 was made possible by years of R&D, testing and operational preparation. AST SpaceMobile has a portfolio of more than 2,400 patent and patent-pending claims supporting its space-based cellular broadband technology. Additional details on the BlueWalker 3 mission can be seen in this video.“Every person should have the right to access cellular broadband, regardless of where they live or work. Our goal is to close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives around the world,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AST SpaceMobile. “The successful unfolding of BlueWalker 3 is a major step forward for our patented space-based cellular broadband technology and paves the way for the ongoing production of our BlueBird satellites.”AST SpaceMobile has agreements and understandings with mobile network operators (“MNOs”) globally that have over 1.8 billion existing subscribers, including a mutual exclusivity with Vodafone in 24 countries. Interconnecting with AST SpaceMobile’s planned network will allow MNOs, including Vodafone Group, Rakuten Mobile, AT&T, Bell Canada, MTN Group, Orange, Telefonica, Etisalat, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Millicom, Smartfren, Telecom Argentina, Telstra, Africell, Liberty Latin America and others, the ability to offer extended cellular broadband coverage to their customers who live, work and travel in areas with poor or non-existent cell coverage, with the goal of eliminating dead zones with cellular broadband from space.“We want to close coverage gaps in our markets, particularly in territories where terrain makes it extremely challenging to reach with a traditional ground-based network. Our partnership with AST SpaceMobile – connecting satellite directly to conventional mobile devices – will help in our efforts to close the digital divide,” said Luke Ibbetson, Head of Group R&D, Vodafone and an AST SpaceMobile director.Tareq Amin, CEO of Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony and an AST SpaceMobile director, added “Our mission is to democratize access to mobile connectivity: That is why we are so excited about the potential of AST SpaceMobile to support disaster-readiness and meet our goal of 100% geographical coverage to our customers in Japan. I look forward not only to testing BW3 on our world-leading cloud-native network in Japan, but also working with AST SpaceMobile on integrating our virtualized radio network technology to help bring connectivity to the world.”Chris Sambar, President – Network, AT&T, added “We’re excited to see AST SpaceMobile reach this significant milestone. AT&T’s core mission is connecting people to greater possibilities on the largest wireless network in America. Working with AST SpaceMobile, we believe there is a future opportunity to even further extend our network reach including to otherwise remote and off-grid locations.”
AST Space Mobile confirms BlueWalker-3 has deployed its communications array, consistent with astronomical observations showing that it got 40 times brighter on Nov 12.
