AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird constellation is a bet that raw aperture size wins. Each satellite unfolds a 64-square-meter phased-array antenna in orbit, the largest commercial antenna ever deployed. The company claims a stock smartphone on the ground can connect directly to it. The competition says the physics doesn't support that. Seventeen satellites in and a contract with AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone, somebody's math is wrong.
Blue Origin's New Glenn suffered upper-stage malfunction on April 19, stranding AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 in wrong orbit. Satellite declared lost, will deorbit.
SpaceX quietly built the world's largest 4G network without a single cell tower. Over 650 satellites now connect standard smartphones directly from orbit, and most people carrying compatible phones don't know the service exists.
The largest commercial antenna ever deployed in low Earth orbit belongs to a company most people have never heard of. AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 6 is either the future of cellular connectivity or the most ambitious overreach in telecom history - and it just finished unfolding.
Today's Space Brief covers a notable satellite deployment in LEO, a leadership shift in Blue Origin's defense wing, and ongoing recovery efforts for NASA's MAVEN orbiter.
SpaceX continues to make strides with successful satellite launches and competitive maneuvering in the direct-to-device market, as AST SpaceMobile aligns with Verizon for space-based cellular services.
