December 31, 2025 AST SpaceMobile has launched the largest satellite ever deployed in low-Earth orbit, escalating competition with SpaceX’s Starlink by promising something its rival still cannot deliver: direct 5G service to standard smartphones without special hardware. The Texas-based startup says the new satellite, BlueBird 6, is designed to connect directly to existing mobile phones anywhere on Earth, potentially eliminating cellular dead zones.
The company confirmed this week that BlueBird 6 has successfully reached orbit. At roughly 2,400 square feet, the satellite is physically far larger than the compact spacecraft used by SpaceX for its Starlink network. AST argues that size is the key advantage. Unlike Starlink, which relies on proprietary user terminals because its satellites cannot reliably receive signals from handheld devices, AST’s massive antenna is intended to pick up the faint transmissions from ordinary phones and amplify and process them before relaying them back into terrestrial mobile networks.
AST SpaceMobile says users will not need new devices or subscriptions. Phones will automatically switch to satellite coverage when terrestrial service drops, then return to towers when available. AST claims peak speeds of up to 120 Mbps and says it already has agreements with major carriers including AT&T and Verizon, along with more than 50 other mobile operators globally.
BlueBird 6 represents a significant scale-up from AST’s earlier deployments. The company previously launched five satellites, but the new model is roughly three times larger, according to reports. AST plans to deploy about 50 additional satellites next year, with commercial service expected to follow shortly thereafter.
The expansion has raised concerns beyond the telecommunications industry. Astronomers and space researchers have warned that AST’s earlier satellites were among the brightest objects in the night sky due to their large, reflective solar arrays. If hundreds of similarly sized satellites are launched, critics argue, they could significantly interfere with ground-based and space-based astronomical observations.
SpaceX has also objected and has urged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to scrutinize AST’s satellites, arguing that their size increases collision risk in already crowded orbital corridors. AST has rejected those concerns, noting that SpaceX operates thousands of satellites in the same orbital regime.
As companies race to blanket the planet with connectivity, low-Earth orbit is becoming more congested and more contested. AST’s gamble is that bigger satellites and direct-to-phone service will give it an edge. Whether regulators, astronomers, and competitors agree may shape the next phase of the satellite internet boom.
