Five new massive satellites outshine most evening stars
These 700-square-foot satellites are part of a broadband constellation that’s ‘just getting started.’
BY ANDREW PAUL
POSTED ON SEP 13, 2024 10:49 AM EDT
A Texas telecommunications startup launched its first five massive “BlueBird” communications satellites into orbit on September 12. Each device is nearly 700-feet-wide when fully deployed, and like BlueWalker 3—AST SpaceMobile’s 2022 prototype, also in orbit—every BlueBird will soon shine brighter than most stars and planets in the night sky. But despite the concerns of critics and experts alike, the company’s CEO vows they are “just getting started.”
Founded in 2017, AST SpaceMobile is currently working with AT&T to construct the world’s first space-based cellular broadband network. In a statement on Thursday, AT&T Chief Operating Officer Jeff McElfresh said it’s all part of a plan to offer “a future where our customers will only be hard to reach if they choose to be.” AST SpaceMobile successfully delivered its BlueWalker 3 prototype into low-Earth orbit (LEO) in September 2022, and demonstrated it by allowing a smartphone to make a voice call the following September. Less than a month after the milestone, an international study published in Nature confirmed BlueWalker 3’s peak brightness matched that of Procyon and Achernar, two of the ten brightest stars in the night sky. Subsequent observations recorded even higher magnitudes similar to the stars that make up the constellation of Orion.
www.popsci.com/science/bluebird-satellite-launch/
There’s a lot more to show, and we hope to provide a more detailed tour closer to the completion of our first BlueBird satellites. Until then, thanks for joining us! [14/end]
— AST SpaceMobile (@AST_SpaceMobile) July 13, 2023
We did it! 🚀 The BlueBird satellites have successfully launched into orbit. This is a historic moment for AST SpaceMobile and a major step forward in our mission to provide space-based cellular connectivity globally. Thank you to everyone who supported us on this journey.… pic.twitter.com/mZZVwRPnsN
— AST SpaceMobile (@AST_SpaceMobile) September 12, 2024
h/t Digital mix guy Spock