AST SpaceMobile

AT&T, Google, and Vodafone are investing USD 206.5 million in AST SpaceMobile, a company that is working on offering a cellular network to smartphones on Earth using cellphone towers in space (more specifically, using satellites in low Earth orbit), which is also known as satellite-to-smartphone connectivity, making it a competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink. As a part of the latest investment, “Vodafone and AT&T have placed purchase orders for network equipment from AST SpaceMobile to support planned commercial…

SpaceX used its Starlink satellites to send and receive a text message from low Earth orbit in an effort to expand its connectivity beyond the reach of traditional cell tower signals.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Monday, January 8, the space company tested one of its new direct-to-cell satellites, sending a text message using the T-Mobile network for the first time, SpaceX announced on Wednesday. Less than a week earlier, SpaceX launched six Starlink satellites with…

SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink satellites that will be able to connect directly to cell phones ahead of planned testing later this year. The company launched six Starlink satellites with this capability with a batch of 15 other Starlink birds aboard a Falcon 9 rocket late last night. SpaceX obtained approval from U.S. regulators last month to test the satellites in partnership with T-Mobile. SpaceX has a number of other partnerships with native telecom companies in countries including Australia, Canada…

SpaceX is gearing up to test its Starlink satellites’ ability to connect directly to cellphones in the U.S., launching the first six satellites under a temporary license with the hopes to expand its connectivity reach beyond that of traditional cell signals.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Tuesday, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched at 10:44 p.m. ET from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 21 Starlink satellites to orbit. Of note, this batch included the first…

AFalcon 9 rocket awaiting launch for the Starlink 7-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.Photo: SpaceXSpaceX is gearing up to launch the first batch of Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability, with plans to test the technology in Earth orbit so that it can expand its reach on Earth beyond the range of cell towers.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewA total of 21 satellites will launch on board SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at 12:09 a.m. on Friday, December 29 from the…

The revolution in launch costs and availability driven by firms like SpaceX continues to open up opportunities for spacetech startups that would not have been economically viable a generation ago. For instance, instead of one firm offering phone connectivity from space, we now have multiple startups competing to provide different levels of service to smartphones. And we also have a number of firms looking to bring their own small revolutions to building and maintaining spacecraft.AntarisFor bringing software-as-a-service…

AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based satellite designing and manufacturing company, is gearing up to launch its series of five satellites that will kick-start its satellite-based cellular broadband internet service that can directly be accessed through smartphones. The company has now made some last-minute changes to its deployment strategy, which as per the company, is being done to improve the coverage area of the satellites. The launch timeline, which is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2024, is not likely to…

Texas-based AST SpaceMobile used its space-based cellular tower to transmit signals at 4G speeds to off-the-shelf smartphones, marking a success for its prototype satellite.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Wednesday, the company announced that its engineers conducted a series of tests of the BlueWalker 3 satellite in June, beaming down data at download speeds above 10 Mbps from space straight to regular cell phones in Hawaii. The 4G speeds were achieved using AT&T…

US-based telecommunications company AT&T has achieved a noteworthy milestone by successfully completing the first-ever two-way audio call using satellites with a standard smartphone.According to Engadget, the call was placed from AT&T's location in Midland, Texas, to Japanese mobile carrier Rakuten, and the device used was a Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone.The call was made possible through AST SpaceMobile's BlueWalker 3 satellite technology, which facilitated seamless communication between the two…

An increasing number of satellites in Earth orbit is threatening observations of the sky.Photo: ESOAstronomers looking up at the night skies have started to feel the effects of the growing number of satellites swarming Earth orbit, and they want to do something about it before it’s too late. An international group of astronomy organizations have banded together to petition the United Nations, asking it to form a group that monitors the impact of satellites on astronomy.The European Southern Observatory (ESO), the…