SpaceX to Launch AST SpaceMobile's Next BlueBirds Aug. 5

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — SpaceX is set to add another high-profile mission to a relentless launch manifest, with a Falcon 9 rocket poised to loft AST SpaceMobile's next three next-generation BlueBird satellites from Cape Canaveral as soon as August 5.

The BlueBird 11, 12 and 13 spacecraft are targeting an early-morning liftoff, continuing a partnership that has increasingly leaned on SpaceX's flight-proven Falcon 9 to build out a constellation designed to beam broadband directly to ordinary smartphones. The flight adds to a punishing SpaceX cadence that recently included a $1.6 billion Space Force award for 18 Falcon 9 missions.

Bigger, Faster Satellites

The trio uses AST SpaceMobile's advanced Block 2 architecture, built around a stackable composite frame that lets several multi-ton payloads nest inside Falcon 9's five-meter fairing. Once in orbit, each satellite unfurls a phased-array antenna measuring roughly 2,400 square feet — among the largest commercial antenna structures ever flown — and can deliver peak speeds near 200 Mbps, effectively doubling the throughput of the company's first-generation birds.

For SpaceX, the mission is another demonstration of Falcon 9's role as the workhorse of the commercial space economy, reliably delivering payloads for a growing roster of customers. The company recently notched its 90th orbital launch of 2026, underscoring a launch tempo no rival can match.

A Direct-to-Device Race

AST SpaceMobile is racing to knit together a space-based cellular network that works with unmodified phones, and it has active agreements with roughly 60 mobile operators representing more than three billion subscribers, backed by investors including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone and Google. Getting the Block 2 satellites aloft is a crucial step toward broader service.

That AST turned to Falcon 9 for this campaign speaks to SpaceX's reliability advantage. With a cadence approaching two flights a week across multiple pads, SpaceX has become the default ride to orbit for operators that cannot afford delays.

Clear Skies Ahead

If the countdown holds, the BlueBird launch will be one more entry in a manifest packed with Starlink flights, national-security payloads and commercial rideshares. As NASASpaceflight noted in its launch preview, the week ahead is stacked with SpaceX missions — a reminder that, for SpaceX, another launch is never far off.