Business is picking up at Blue Origin, as the company and AST Mobile announced yesterday that Blue and New Glenn have been selected for multiple launches of AST’s next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). According to both companies, the launches will occur over a multi-year period.

Both Companies Comment On The Contract

“New Glenn’s performance and unprecedented capacity within its seven-meter fairing enables us to deploy more of our Block 2 BlueBird satellites in orbit, helping provide continuous cellular broadband service coverage across some of the most in-demand cellular markets globally,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, AST SpaceMobile in a press release.

“It’s an honor to support AST SpaceMobile’s deployment of their next generation BlueBird satellites, which will expand connectivity across the globe and positively impact many lives,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in the same press release. “New Glenn is purpose-built for these kinds of innovative and ambitious missions.” 

New Glenn Set To Fly For First Time In the Next Six Weeks

New Glenn is anticipated to make its maiden flight sometime this year, though Blue Origin has not announced a specific date for that launch. The company recently assembled the first and second-stage flight hardware for that first flight, with other preparations still continuing.

Blue Origin also received a water deluge permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the past couple of weeks, clearing the way for BO to fire up New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines for both a pre-launch static fire and the launch of New Glenn itself. The water deluge system is part of the vital sound suppression system used at Launch Complex 36 to protect New Glenn on its initial ascent.

The company still needs an FAA permit for the flight, but one is expected soon.

With its BlueBird satellites, AST Mobile is building a constellation of “low-latency broadband satellites” that it will use to serve both the commercial and consumer marketplace. According to the company, AST Mobile’s technology will “operate directly with everyday smartphones and allow seamless switching between terrestrial cell towers and satellite signals depending on location and coverage needs.”

AST Mobile Partnering with Nearly 50 Companies With BlueBird

In 2024, AST SpaceMobile has secured additional strategic investment from AT&T, Verizon, Google and Vodafone, and new contract awards with the United States Government, directly and through prime contractors. The company has agreements with more than 45 mobile network operators globally, which have over 2.8 billion existing subscribers total.

The first five BlueBird satellites launched by AST SpaceMobile were launched on September 12, 2024. The BlueBirds are the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed, with each satellite’s antenna covering 693 square feet. The satellites are designed to provide direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity to mobile phones.

• BlueBird 1: COSPAR: 2024-163C
• BlueBird 2: COSPAR: 2024-163D
• BlueBird 3: COSPAR: 2024-163A
• BlueBird 4: COSPAR: 2024-163E 
• BlueBird 5: COSPAR: 2024-163B

The satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on September 12, 2024.

According to AST Mobile, the launches purchased in this contract will fly in 2025 and 2026, with around sixty BlueBird Block 2 satellites as the payload. New Glenn, with its seven-meter fairing, can launch up to eight BlueBird Block 2 in a single launch, so while it was not specifically noted by either company, it sounds like at least seven or eight New Glenn launches will be needed to meet the goal of lofting sixty satellites.