ASTS Stock Slips Overnight Despite Fresh New Zealand Gateway Approval For AST SpaceMobile

• New Zealand approved a gateway license for Two Degrees Networks, supporting AST SpaceMobile’s satellite infrastructure rollout.
• The license takes effect Monday and covers a space-to-Earth feeder link tied to AST SpaceMobile’s non-geostationary network.
• BlueBird 11 has reached Cape Canaveral, with BlueBirds 12 and 13 expected ahead of an August launch.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) fell 3% overnight heading into Monday despite a fresh New Zealand license authorizing a gateway link for AST SpaceMobile’s expanding satellite network.

ASTS stock declined 14% last week, logging its worst weekly run in over a month. 

New Zealand Clears ASTS Gateway 

The license, issued through New Zealand’s Register of Radio Frequencies, allows Two Degrees Networks to operate a space-to-Earth gateway station connected to AST SpaceMobile’s non-geostationary satellite system. The license takes effect on Monday and adds another piece of ground infrastructure to AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-smartphone broadband network.

The authorization permits a gateway, or feeder-link, earth station at a specified New Zealand site to receive signals from AST SpaceMobile satellites. It covers frequencies between 37.5 GHz and 39 GHz and limits communication to certain satellites. The conditions also require a minimum satellite elevation angle of 15 degrees and restrict operations to the approved gateway site and antenna array.

AST SpaceMobile is building a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) network that can deliver voice, data and video directly to standard, unmodified smartphones. Gateway stations are a key part of the plan, as they connect satellites to terrestrial telecom networks, enabling traffic to flow between space and local mobile infrastructure.

ASTS Readies Next BlueBird Launch 

The licence comes as AST SpaceMobile prepares its next satellite deployment. The company said on Friday that BlueBird 11 had arrived at Cape Canaveral, with BlueBirds 12 and 13 expected to follow shortly ahead of a launch targeted for the first half of August.

The satellites were built in Texas as AST SpaceMobile works to scale production and maintain a faster launch cadence. BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 are expected to feature communications arrays measuring about 2,400 square feet.

AST SpaceMobile said that the next-gen satellites should deliver nearly twice the peak data speeds of its first-gen Block 1 BlueBirds, which recently achieved download speeds of 98.9 Mbps directly to standard smartphones. The company is relying on stackable satellite designs and advanced composite structures to support multi-satellite launches and accelerate constellation deployment.

BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 launched from Cape Canaveral on June 17 and are now operating in orbit, placing the next three satellites in line for deployment. ASTS is targeting 45 satellites by year-end and has agreements with nearly 60 mobile-network operators representing more than 3 billion subscribers.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About ASTS?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS slipped to ‘bearish’ from ‘bullish’ levels a week ago amid a 95% jump in 24-hour message volumes.

One user said, “$ASTS I’m convinced the MNOs we have MOUs with will simply include satellite via ASTS in all packages FOC and pay us a dollar per  subscriber per month.”

Another user contrasted AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan’s singular focus with CEO Elon Musk’s broader ambitions, saying: “Abel Avellan is laser focused on DTC. Elon Musk is scatter focused on Gronk, Robotaxis, Robots, AI datacenters in Space, Starship, Mars, Starlink, X, etc... We have a great advantage in our space.”

ASTS stock has risen 67% over the past year. 

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