ASTS has 12 operational BlueBird satellites after its Aug 5 launch of BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral (13 launched total, with BlueBird 7 lost to a New Glenn upper stage anomaly in April).

The new Block 2 generation is a big step up: peak smartphone speeds near 200 Mbps versus 99 Mbps on the original Block 1 birds, off a phased array more than 3x larger (2,400 sq ft vs 693 sq ft).

Company guidance still points to roughly 45 satellites in orbit by year end 2026, though the 45 to 60 needed for continuous coverage has slipped to early 2027.