First five BlueBird Block 1 satellites launch on Falcon 9

AST SpaceMobile/BlueBird constellation

AST SpaceMobile's first five BlueBird satellites launched on September 12, 2024, at 4:52 a.m. EDT on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral. Each BlueBird unfolds a massive communications array of 693 square feet—the largest such array deployed by any commercial spacecraft—to connect directly to ordinary mobile phones in low Earth orbit.

• Launch: September 12, 2024, 4:52 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
• Five BlueBird Block 1 satellites deployed; first commercial constellation with direct mobile phone connectivity.
• Communications array: 693 square feet per satellite (largest commercial array).
• Falcon 9 booster landed at Cape Canaveral LZ-1.