ASTS Short Interest At 9-Month High – Even As Retail Bulls Flag Brazil Approval As ‘Huge Win’

• The approval covers a constellation of up to 248 satellites operating across S-band, along with the Q- and V-bands for feeder link transmissions.
• According to Koyfin data, short interest in ASTS climbed to 16.6% of the float as of May 18, up sharply from 13.6% in the beginning of the year.
• Last month, the Federal Communications Commission approved the launch of 223 low-Earth-orbit satellites by ASTS.

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) was in the limelight on Monday, as short interest in the stock climbed to the highest level since August 2025, against the backdrop of a major regulatory breakthrough in Brazil, where the country’s telecom authority “approved the company’s application with conditions tied to spectrum usage” to operate a 248-satellite orbital network.

According to Koyfin data, short interest in ASTS climbed to 16.6% of the float as of May 18, up sharply from 13.6% in the beginning of the year, marking its highest level since August 2025. The company has roughly 298.8 million outstanding shares.

ASTS shares rose nearly 2.3% in pre-market trading on Monday.

ASTS License To Remain Valid Till 2039

On Friday, Brazil’s ANATEL (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações) approved an application by ASTS to operate its SpaceMobile non-geostationary satellite system in the country through local subsidiary AST & Science Do Brasil. The license is valid until Sept. 19, 2039.

The approval covers a constellation of up to 248 satellites operating across S-band, along with the Q- and V-bands for feeder link transmissions. Anatel acknowledged that demand for S-band spectrum remains high and said the band's allocation framework may need to be reviewed in the future.

FCC Previously Cleared 223-Satellite U.S. Expansion

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved AST SpaceMobile to launch 223 low-Earth-orbit satellites for its space-based cellular broadband network, aimed at expanding direct-to-device and supplemental satellite coverage.

The order also cleared the company’s spectrum leasing agreements with AT&T, Verizon, and FirstNet, enabling AST SpaceMobile to provide satellite-to-smartphone connectivity using parts of the 700 MHz and 800 MHz spectrum bands across the continental United States and Hawaii.

Retail’s Take On ASTS’ Brazil Deal

Retail sentiment for ASTS on Stocktwits turned ‘bullish’ from ‘extremely bullish’ a day earlier, amid ‘high’ message volumes.

Chatter was bullish, with one user highlighting Brazil’s huge population as a key element in the approval and expects the stock to climb over $90. It is currently trading at around $85.

Another user called it a “huge win” for ASTS.

The stock has gained more than 18% so far in 2026. ASTS has been one of the more closely watched retail-favorite space and satellite stocks this year amid expectations around direct-to-device connectivity.

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