AST SpaceMobile Encapsulates BlueBird 8-10 Satellites Ahead of June 17 Falcon 9 Launch

According to AST SpaceMobile's official announcement on X, BlueBird satellites 8, 9, and 10 have been encapsulated inside a SpaceX Falcon 9 fairing ahead of a scheduled June 17 liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The new satellites are expected to nearly double the peak data speeds of the company's earlier Block 1 satellites, which achieved 98.9 Mbps download speeds directly to unmodified smartphones.

The launch timing coincides with growing investor focus on Japan's J-LEO satellite communications initiative, a $1 billion project aimed at creating a domestically controlled direct-to-cell network. A Rakuten Mobile-AST SpaceMobile alliance is among the leading contenders, with a decision expected before the end of June. AST remains on track to deploy 45 satellites this year despite the loss of BlueBird 7 in April.