BlueBird 6 Antenna Fully Unfolded
Phased Array Spans Some 2,400 Square Feet
The BlueBird 6 communications satellite, which was launched December 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, has been completely unfolded, according to AST SpaceMobile. The phased array antenna of the spacecraft spans some 2,400 square feet, the largest ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit.
“BlueBird 6 is the result of specialized American manufacturing combined with world-class engineering ingenuity.”
Abel Avellan, AST SpaceMobile
The satellite is engineered to support peak data speeds of up to 120 Mbps with plans to deliver up to ten times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird 1-5 series. The aperture enables full 4G and 5G cellular broadband services, including voice, data, and video to standard, unmodified smartphones everywhere. The company is on track to launch 45–60 satellites by the end of 2026, with launches planned every one or two months on average.
The performance of BlueBird 6 is driven by several major breakthroughs in space-based architecture. The massive antenna array significantly allows the satellite to reliably transmit and receive signals from standard handheld devices. Furthermore, the large aperture enables highly precise beamforming, creating narrower, more focused coverage areas. This precision minimizes interference, maximizes network capacity, and ensures consistent, high-quality user experience for cellular broadband services, including voice, data, and video.
“BlueBird 6 is the result of specialized American manufacturing combined with world-class engineering ingenuity,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “We are not just building satellites; we built a new way to manufacture innovative space technology at scale, and we have cultivated a highly skilled workforce capable of operating at the frontier of aerospace and telecommunications. These teams are contributing directly to developing unprecedented capabilities that will change how the world connects in a market we invented. We have developed a unique design and a proprietary process, and we are building the future of connectivity right here at home.”
This milestone represents years of innovation and proprietary engineering, supported by more than 3,800 patent and patent pending claims, and is yet another step in the Company’s execution of its commercial roadmap, validating its differentiated, vertically integrated manufacturing and technology platform. With a workforce of nearly 1,800 people, the company is 95% vertically integrated, maintaining strict United States control over the manufacturing process.
AST SpaceMobile has agreements with over 50 mobile network operators globally with nearly 3 billion subscribers combined and strategic partnerships with AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten, Google, American Tower, Bell and stc Group.