ASTS Stock Rises Overnight: CEO Says BlueBirds 8, 9 And 10 Are Fully Deployed — With 3 More Satellites Already At Cape

AST SpaceMobile’s stackable satellite design can support launches of three, five, six or eight BlueBirds on a single mission.

• BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 fully deployed their massive arrays, which CEO Abel Avellan called among the world’s largest in low Earth orbit.
• The BlueBird platform targets peak speeds near 200 Mbps and combines cellular broadband, space AI and government applications.
• AST SpaceMobile recently closed a $1 billion convertible note offering, with another $150 million option exercised.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) climbed 2% overnight late Tuesday after CEO Abel Avellan said that BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 had fully deployed their massive communications arrays, while the company’s next three satellites were already at Cape Canaveral preparing for launch.

ASTS stock jumped 10% on Tuesday to $63.34, but shares are still tracking their worst month since November. 

ASTS Deploys 3 Giant BlueBird Satellites

Avellan said on X that BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 had deployed to their full size, with each operating as one of the “world’s largest communications arrays” in low Earth orbit. He said AST SpaceMobile had developed a lightweight composite, stackable satellite architecture that can be manufactured at scale and launched in groups of three, five, six or eight on a single mission.

The BlueBird platform combines space-based cellular broadband with peak data rates approaching 200 Mbps, space AI edge computing and mission-critical government applications, Avellan said. All of those capabilities sit on “one platform where the largest-ever size matters,” he added.

AST SpaceMobile’s next launch batch is already moving into position. “BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 are already at the Cape preparing for their imminent launch,” Avellan said, adding that BlueBirds 14, 15 and 16 were “right behind them.” Production has already advanced through satellite 42 at the company’s Texas operations, according to the CEO.

The next-generation satellites are expected to carry communications arrays spanning 2,400 square feet and deliver nearly twice the peak speeds of AST SpaceMobile’s first-generation Block 1 satellites. The company has also reported download speeds of 98.9 Mbps directly to standard, unmodified smartphones.

ASTS Closes $1B Convertible Note Offering

The deployment update follows AST SpaceMobile’s closing of $1 billion in 1.625% convertible senior notes due in 2034. The company said the initial purchasers also exercised their option to buy an additional $150 million of notes. AST SpaceMobile also purchased a capped call hedge that raises the effective conversion price to $149.20 per share, aimed at reducing potential dilution if the notes are converted.

“This financing allows us to pursue an expanding universe of growth opportunities, continue vertical integration, and secure additional access to orbit for our space-based cellular network,” President Scott Wisniewski said. The company may settle future conversions in cash, shares, or a combination of both, giving it flexibility to manage dilution and cash obligations.

ASTS Eyes Major Texas Manufacturing Expansion

AST SpaceMobile is also pursuing a major manufacturing expansion in Midland, Texas. The Midland Development Corporation approved an agreement offering the company up to $66 million in performance-based incentives over 30 years, subject to City Council approval. The proposal would support a manufacturing and production facility of at least 400,000 square feet next to AST SpaceMobile’s existing Spaceport Business Park operations.

Local officials estimate the project could generate $116 million in property-tax revenue and lift the Midland metropolitan area’s GDP by 1.8%.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About ASTS?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS was ‘bullish’ amid a 50% jump in 24-hour message volumes.

One user noted, “One small but very interesting change in Abel Avellan's latest post. For the first time that I've noticed, Abel described the BlueBird platform as:"...the world's largest and most advanced direct-to-device and radar phased-array..." Historically, AST SpaceMobile has been viewed as a direct-to-device communications company. The addition of the words "radar phased-array" is noteworthy.”

View this Stocktwits post

Another user speculated, “$ASTS The real deal likely still hasn’t  been revealed yet. T-Mobile partnership? US Military?  Both?  The suspense is killing me! I’ll continue to accumulate and wait.”

View this Stocktwits post

ASTS stock has risen 12% over the past year.

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