BlueBird 7 Orbital Launch Schedule Announced
Scheduled for Late February on the Upcoming New Glenn-3 Mission
Launch timing for the BlueBird 7 mission has been announced by AST SpaceMobile. The launch is currently scheduled for late February from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle.
“This launch advances our mission to bring space-based cellular broadband connectivity to everyday smartphones as we progress towards launching commercial services in 2026.”
Scott Wisniewski, AST SpaceMobile
Identical to BlueBird 6, BlueBird 7 is the second satellite in AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation campaign. At nearly 2,400 square feet, it features the largest commercial communications array in low Earth orbit, 3.5 times larger than BlueBirds 1-5. Its size and design, built on significant technical innovation and supported by more than 3,800 patent and patent-pending claims, enable peak data rates of up to 120 Mbps space-based broadband connectivity for voice, data, and streaming.
“This launch advances our mission to bring space-based cellular broadband connectivity to everyday smartphones as we progress towards launching commercial services in 2026,” said Scott Wisniewski, president of AST SpaceMobile. “BlueBird 7 moves us closer to delivering a new layer of cellular broadband connectivity for consumers, enterprises, and government customers worldwide.”
The next generation BlueBirds are designed to be compatible with all major launch vehicles. Future missions on New Glenn are expected to deliver up to 8 next generation BlueBirds per flight, with its seven-meter fairing enabling twice the payload volume of five-meter class commercial launch systems.
AST SpaceMobile’s mission is to enable 4G and 5G space-based cellular broadband for billions globally without requiring any changes to mobile devices. AST SpaceMobile is 95% vertically integrated, with all major manufacturing processes under U.S. control in Texas. The company operates nearly 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and operations facilities and employs a workforce of nearly 1,800 people.
The mission represents the first launch with New Glenn - its seven-meter fairing enables up to eight Block 2 BlueBirds per mission. AST SpaceMobile plans a multi-launcher campaign with one orbital launch every one to two months on average during 2026 and is on track to launch 45–60 satellites by the end of the year
Amazing to see the pace of innovation here. The 2,400 square foot array is genuinely massive and the 120 Mbps peak data rates are gonna change alot for remote connectivity. I remember when sattelite internet was basically unusable, now we're talking about seamless 5G from space. The multi-launcher strategy with launches every 1-2 months shows serious production maturity.