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Giant Satellite Deploys, Promises Phone Calls From Space
12 Feb
Summary
- BlueBird 6, largest commercial satellite, unfurled its wings in orbit.
- Satellite aims to provide space-based cellular broadband directly to phones.
- Texas startup AST SpaceMobile plans 45-60 more satellites by end of 2026.
AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 6 satellite has successfully unfurled its communications array, reaching its final shape in Earth orbit. The company announced that BlueBird 6, now the largest commercial satellite in space, is the first in its next-generation constellation, which will eventually comprise up to 60 similar satellites.
Launched on India's LVM3 rocket on December 23, 2025, BlueBird 6's array spans 2,400 square feet and is engineered for data speeds up to 120 megabytes per second, supporting 10 gigahertz of bandwidth. This next-generation satellite is approximately three times larger than previous iterations.
AST SpaceMobile aims to offer 5G data services directly to unmodified smartphones, requiring no additional hardware. The company previously tested its technology with the BlueWalker 3 satellite, successfully making the first 5G phone call from space in late 2023. AST plans to deploy 45-60 more BlueBird satellites by the end of 2026 to enable these services across the United States and other initial markets.
Concerns have been raised by astronomers regarding the brightness of these massive satellites potentially interfering with observations. However, AST SpaceMobile is forging ahead, aiming to compete with established players like SpaceX's Starlink by offering direct-to-cell service.
