After delays, AST SpaceMobile, the satellite internet company that is a rival to Starlink, has finally announced that it is ready to launch its first commercial satellite constellation.
Satellites to provide internet launch on September 12
AST SpaceMobile received a major investment from AT&T, Vodafone and Verizon earlier this year. The company completed the construction of its satellites last month and recently announced the launch date. According to the company, the launch will take place on September 12 at 12.53 a.m. (12.53 p.m. PT) at the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida, USA. The Texas-based company was able to provide up to 21 MBPS in satellite internet speed tests in 2022. At the same time, the tests provided power to phones for video calls. AST SpaceMobile will send 5 BlueBird (bluebird) satellites into space in the first launch on Thursday.
Each BlueBird can cover an area of approximately 200 square meters. However, the company’s supply chain problems during the construction of the satellites delayed the launch of the satellites. One of the most important tasks that the satellites will take on will be to provide the network to the inactive regions in the US for AT&T and Verizon, the company’s investors. So even if the phones cannot connect to the companies’ local base stations, the user will never be without a network thanks to BlueBird satellites.
Elon Musk announced that the Starlink service will soon provide uninterrupted internet access to mobile devices.
AST SpaceMobile is expected to launch five satellites on Thursday, September 12, which will be used in network tests by AT&T and Verizon. “This first service operating in the premium low-band spectrum is planned to support beta testers for AT&T and Verizon. It will target nearly 100% coverage nationwide with more than 5,600 coverage cells in the United States” The company will launch the satellites into space on a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, a company owned by Elon Musk. AST SpaceMobile provides network support to AT&T and Verizon, while Elon Musk’s Starlink provides support to T-Mobile. Starlink is expected to launch its satellite communication service for T-Mobile users this fall.
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