TLDR
- AST SpaceMobile shipped three more BlueBird satellites (14, 15, 16) from its Midland, Texas facility to Cape Canaveral.
- No launch date has been set yet for the new batch of satellites.
- Production in Midland has advanced through BlueBird 50, with over 20 spacecraft structures in assembly.
- The company’s Compensation Committee adopted a new executive change-of-control severance policy on September 25.
- ASTS stock traded up roughly 4% to 5% on Wednesday following the news.
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) stock climbed about 4% on Wednesday, trading near $62 a share. The move came as investors weighed fresh satellite shipment news alongside a newly adopted executive severance policy.
Three more BlueBird satellites left the company’s Midland, Texas manufacturing facility this week. BlueBirds 14, 15 and 16 are now in transit to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The company announced the shipment on social media, posting video of the spacecraft containers on the road. “Another convoy is on the move,” AST SpaceMobile wrote. “Next stop: orbit.”
No launch date has been announced yet for this latest trio. They follow BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13, which launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on August 5. BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 launched back in June.
Production Keeps Rolling
Manufacturing in Midland has now advanced through BlueBird 50. More than 20 spacecraft structures are currently being integrated as part of the assembly line.
The pace of production matters here. AST’s ability to build and launch satellites at scale is central to moving from patchy coverage toward a fully functioning commercial network.
The company’s next-generation satellites carry phased-array antennas spanning nearly 2,400 square feet. AST says these are the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit.
Each satellite can reportedly support more than 150 Mbps of peak capacity per coverage cell. That bandwidth is designed to deliver cellular broadband straight to ordinary smartphones, no special hardware required.
AST currently holds agreements with nearly 60 mobile network operators. Those partners, including AT&T, Verizon and Vodafone, collectively serve more than 3 billion subscribers worldwide.
Severance Policy and Government Deals
On September 25, AST’s Compensation Committee adopted a new Senior Management Change of Control Severance Policy. It sets standardized payout terms for top executives in the event of a takeover.
The CEO would receive a lump-sum payment equal to twice their base salary plus target bonus under a qualifying termination. That comes with 24 months of health coverage subsidies.
Other senior executives covered under the policy would get 1.5 times their salary and bonus total. They’d also receive 18 months of health benefit subsidies.
The policy applies to terminations within 12 months after a change of control, or up to 180 days before one. It covers the CEO, President and all Executive and Senior Vice Presidents.
AST is also expanding beyond consumer telecom. The company has reported a contracted revenue backlog of approximately $1.3 billion, which includes growing work with the U.S. Space Development Agency.
That government pipeline gives AST another avenue beyond carrier partnerships. The network’s design, built for direct-to-device connectivity, has obvious appeal for secure or remote communications use cases.
Separately, AT&T executives publicly pushed back this week against SpaceX’s direct-to-consumer satellite strategy. AT&T has backed AST’s “partner-first” model, which integrates with existing carrier networks rather than competing with them.
AST SpaceMobile’s active orbital fleet currently stands at 13 satellites following the August launch. The company has said it remains on track to begin beta direct-to-device cellular service across the United States by late 2026.
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