Over 220 m² surface area: AST SpaceMobile's new satellite is even larger
AST SpaceMobile aims to connect standard smartphones directly to its giant satellites. An even larger one launched, dozens to follow in 2026.
This is how AST SpaceMobile envisions the future in space.
(Image: AST SpaceMobile)
The US space company AST SpaceMobile has launched the world's "largest commercial communications satellite," BlueBird 6, into orbit. The device has a surface area of 223 m². This makes the satellite three times larger than its five predecessors, which had already set records. With this launch, a new phase in the company's history begins, explains AST SpaceMobile, as 45 to 60 more satellites are scheduled to be launched in the next 12 months. Together, these will enable a space-based mobile network for standard smartphones. However, warnings were already issued after the launch of the predecessors that the giant satellites would alter the night sky and interfere with research.
Contracts with many providers
BlueBird 6 was launched on Tuesday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, while the satellite was assembled and tested in Texas. According to the company, it already has contracts with more than 50 mobile network providers worldwide who want to offer satellite-based communication services. In Europe, Vodafone plans to integrate the satellite service seamlessly into its own fiber optic and mobile networks. Transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbit/s are expected. The telecommunications group publicized a successful test in remote Welsh mountains at the beginning of the year.
Videos by heise
The fact that the rapidly growing number of satellites is making astronomical observations more difficult and depriving humanity of an unobstructed view of the starry sky has been repeatedly pointed out since the construction of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet began. Further mega-constellations of hundreds or even thousands of satellites exacerbate the problem. While these primarily cause more and more astronomical images to become unusable due to their sheer number rather than their brightness, the problem with AST SpaceMobile's satellites is different. Although there are significantly fewer of them, they can appear much brighter at night sky than almost all stars. AST SpaceMobile has not yet addressed this.
(mho)
