Midland, Texas, December 23, 2025 – The dream of truly global cellular broadband, accessible directly by everyday smartphones without modifications, just took a giant leap forward.

AST SpaceMobile, the company spearheading this ambitious vision, today announced the successful orbital launch of BlueBird 6. This isn’t just another satellite; it’s a monumental achievement that could fundamentally reshape connectivity worldwide.

BlueBird 6 lifted off at 10:25 p.m. EST on December 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. Once deployed, it became the largest commercial communications array ever to grace low Earth orbit, spanning nearly 2,400 square feet. That’s three times larger than AST SpaceMobile’s previous record-breaking BlueBirds 1-5.

This sheer scale is engineered for a singular purpose: to deliver high-speed 4G and 5G space-based cellular broadband directly to standard, unmodified smartphones, alongside robust government applications.

“BlueBird 6 is a breakthrough moment for AST SpaceMobile,” declared Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. He emphasized that this launch not only validates years of U.S. innovation and American manufacturing but also marks the “transition to scaled deployment.”

Avellan’s vision is clear: “With BlueBird 6 now in orbit, we are firmly on the path to delivering true space-based cellular broadband directly to everyday smartphones, at a global scale.”

It’s a bold claim, one that promises to eliminate the connectivity gaps currently faced by five billion mobile subscribers and bring broadband to billions who remain unconnected.

This successful launch isn’t merely an end in itself; it kicks off the next phase of AST SpaceMobile’s aggressive execution strategy.

The company is now on track to launch 45–60 satellites by the end of 2026, with launches planned roughly every one or two months.

BlueBird 6 itself was meticulously assembled, integrated, and tested at AST SpaceMobile’s manufacturing facilities in Midland, Texas, a testament to its nearly 500,000 square feet of global facilities and a workforce exceeding 1,800 employees. Their technology platform is backed by an extensive portfolio of over 3,800 patents and patent-pending claims.

With agreements already in place with over 50 mobile network operators globally, collectively serving nearly 3 billion subscribers, and strategic partnerships with industry giants like AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten, Google, and American Tower, AST SpaceMobile isn’t operating in a vacuum.

They are building a vast ecosystem to support what could be the first and only global cellular broadband network in space. The successful deployment of BlueBird 6 isn’t just a technical marvel but a critical step towards a future where “no signal” might just become a relic of the past.