- The company said that it is targeting the launch of BlueBird-7 no earlier than April 10 aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn-3 mission.
- BlueBird-7 supports AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-cell satellite network, which can connect standard smartphones beyond terrestrial coverage.
- The launch window coincides with NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flight since 1972.
Shares of AST SpaceMobile Inc. (ASTS) are tracking toward a fifth straight quarterly gain as the company targets an early-April launch for its BlueBird-7 satellite, with attention building across Florida’s Space Coast ahead of Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.
BlueBird-7 Targets April 10 Launch
AST SpaceMobile said on X that it is targeting launch of its BlueBird-7 satellite no earlier than April 10, aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn-3 (NG-3) mission.
BlueBird-7 is part of AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network that enables standard smartphones to remain connected as they transition between terrestrial cellular coverage and space-based connectivity.
In January, Blue Origin confirmed that its New Glenn-3 mission will carry AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellite to low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral as part of the company’s broader efforts to support its space-based cellular broadband platform serving both commercial and government communications needs.
The mission follows the successful NG-2 mission, which included the landing of the “Never Tell Me The Odds” booster. The same booster is being refurbished to power NG-3.
First Crewed Lunar Mission Since 1972
The targeted satellite launch comes during a high-profile mission window at Kennedy Space Center as NASA prepares for Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era and the first human lunar flight since 1972.
NASA officials said the weather forecast at Cape Canaveral currently shows “80 per cent go” conditions for the first launch opportunity, with backup windows extending through April depending on lunar alignment.
The 10-day Artemis II mission will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a flight around the Moon to test Orion spacecraft life-support systems for the first time with humans aboard, helping lay the groundwork for future Artemis missions.
“We can safely say the crew’s ready,” Shawn Quinn, manager of NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program, told The New York Times. “Rocket’s ready. Spaceship’s ready. Ground systems are ready, and we only need to have the weather cooperate.”
The astronauts have entered pre-launch quarantine at Kennedy Space Center as final preparations continue ahead of liftoff aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
How Did Stocktwits Users React?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS has remained in the ‘neutral’ zone over the past week, amid nearly a 70% jump in message volume. One user said, “Another week passed, another week closer to the Launch Party!!! A GREAT TIME TO BE.”
Another user said, “Big surprise news. A launch date from Blue Origin! The bottom is in, we go up from here! “
ASTS’ stock has more than tripled over the past year. However, it fell over 10% on Friday, logging its worst session in more than a month. Shares are also marginally down in overnight trading late Sunday.
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