AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) is getting closer to turning its satellite network into a commercial business, and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) is helping put the pieces in orbit.
SpaceX has now launched six of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites this year, including BlueBirds 8–10 in June and BlueBirds 11–13 on Aug. 5. The latest Falcon 9 mission brought AST SpaceMobile’s total BlueBird count in orbit to 13.
For AST SpaceMobile, those launches are part of a much bigger race: building enough of its constellation to begin commercial service and move toward a revenue target of nearly $1 billion.
"We still, nothing’s changed on our expectation and our goal of reaching approaching a billion of revenue in our first year of commercial service," Chief Strategy Officer Scott Wisniewski said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
The Satellite Count Matters
AST SpaceMobile is targeting approximately 45 BlueBird satellites in orbit by early 2027, with BlueBirds 14 through 16 ready to ship and satellites 17 through 46 already in various stages of production and assembly.
The company says it is ramping toward a production cadence of six fully assembled satellites per month, while its broader plan calls for eventually deploying more than 100 BlueBird satellites for worldwide SpaceMobile service.
That makes launch capacity just as important as manufacturing capacity. AST SpaceMobile has said it wants additional access to orbit and is pursuing partnerships or acquisitions to reduce the risks associated with relying on third-party launch providers.
SpaceX is already part of that launch infrastructure. Its Falcon 9 rockets carried BlueBirds 8–10 and 11–13 into orbit this year.
$1 Billion Would Come From More Than Phones
Getting satellites into orbit is only the first step. AST SpaceMobile expects its first full year of commercial service to combine government revenue, infrastructure sales and consumer connectivity.
Wisniewski said government could contribute "probably as much as half" of the first-year revenue target, with infrastructure revenue continuing alongside the ramp of commercial service.
The company is already expanding beyond direct-to-device connectivity. Management sees potential "multi-billion-dollar annual-plus revenue opportunities" across government and defense applications, including radar, secure communications, emergency response, IoT and space-based AI edge computing.
That broader opportunity is important because AST SpaceMobile isn’t simply trying to sell satellite phone coverage. It is trying to build a platform that can support multiple businesses on the same space infrastructure.
For investors, the next milestone is therefore not simply another successful SpaceX launch. It is whether AST SpaceMobile can turn a growing BlueBird constellation into commercial service — and eventually into the nearly $1 billion annual revenue run rate management still expects.
SpaceX can help get the satellites there. AST SpaceMobile still has to turn them into a business.
Image via Shutterstock
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