AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) shares climbed 2% overnight Sunday after the company confirmed that BlueBirds 8, 9, and 10 are now fully operational in orbit.
The milestone adds momentum to a company that saw its stock rise 9% on the previous Friday, even as shares remain on track for their weakest monthly close in more than two years.
In a post on X, AST SpaceMobile declared that “execution” was underway, pointing to another delivery to its facility in Midland, Texas, and continued progress across its satellite buildout.
The company stated directly: “BlueBirds 8, 9, and 10 are in orbit and operational; 11, 12, and 13 are next,” adding that satellites are now in production through BlueBird 37.
That marks a notable step forward from April, when AST SpaceMobile reported that its production pipeline extended through BlueBird 32.
BlueBirds 11, 12, and 13 are targeted for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, during the first half of August, representing the next batch of the company’s expanding low-Earth-orbit network.
Those upcoming satellites will feature commercial communications arrays measuring approximately 2,400 square feet and are expected to deliver nearly double the peak data speeds of the initial Block 1 BlueBird satellites, which achieved peak download speeds of 98.9 Mbps directly to standard smartphones.
Scott Wisniewski, president of AST SpaceMobile, said last week: “With each successful launch, we move closer to our goal of making space-based cellular broadband accessible wherever people live, work, and travel.”
Wisniewski also noted that the progression from BlueBirds 8, 9, and 10 to the next mission, combined with production now running through BlueBird 37, reflects the company’s manufacturing strength and its ability to scale the network at pace.
The update comes after a setback in April, when BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit during a New Glenn mission and was expected to deorbit, though the company said the satellite’s cost would be recovered through insurance.
AST SpaceMobile’s broader ambition is to build the world’s first space-based cellular broadband network capable of connecting directly to standard, unmodified smartphones, without requiring specialized hardware.
The company is targeting an orbital launch roughly every one to two months on average this year, with a goal of approximately 45 satellites in orbit by year’s end.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS was rated “neutral” even as message volumes surged 71% over the past week, reflecting heightened interest from individual investors.
One Stocktwits user wrote: “That post was dropped on a Sunday to remind the world, and the shorts, that even though the market is closed, the factory never stops working. Materials are still being delivered. Bluebirds are still being built. 24 hours a day. Seven days a week.”
ASTS stock has risen 41% over the past year, underscoring investor confidence in the company’s long-term commercial trajectory despite near-term volatility.
