AST SpaceMobile said it is on track to activate nationwide intermittent U.S. service before the end of 2026. The company also kept its full-year 2026 revenue guidance at $150 million to $200 million while reporting third-quarter revenue of $42.3 million (via www.fiercewireless.com).
Revenue guidance and quarterly sales
AST SpaceMobile reported third-quarter revenue of $42.3 million and kept its full-year 2026 revenue guidance at $150 million to $200 million. Those are the only financial figures the company put on the table in this update.
Blacklift and launch control
AST SpaceMobile announced plans to build its own 20-ton rocket, Blacklift, to deploy BlueBird satellites into low Earth orbit. The rocket is expected to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch starting in late 2028, and Firefly Aerospace will provide the engines.
AST said the plan does not replace its existing launch agreements with SpaceX, Blue Origin and others for 2027 and 2028. The company said owning the rocket would give it more control over launch availability and deployment schedules.
Satellite buildout and government awards
AST SpaceMobile said its manufacturing facilities in Midland, Texas, are transformed and operating at a high level of activity to support a cadence of six ASIC satellites per month before the end of this year. The company is targeting about 45 BlueBird satellites in orbit by the middle of 2027 and expects more than 100 BlueBird satellites under its current launch agreements before Blacklift enters service in late 2028.
AST also said it received a contract worth about $100 million for advanced space-based sensing capabilities for the U.S. Space Force and now has 16 U.S. government awards.
Capital and Japan JV
AST SpaceMobile expects capital expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2026 to range from $400 million to $500 million. The company said it has $3.2 billion in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, plus $1.2 billion in additional quasi-governmental financing in the pipeline for 2027.
The Japanese government is contributing about $1 billion to support a joint venture between AST SpaceMobile and Rakuten for a low-Earth-orbit project in Japan. Rakuten AST is expected to start domestic operations by the end of March 2029.
What it means for U.S. buyers
For U.S. enterprise and fleet buyers evaluating satellite-backed backup coverage, AST SpaceMobile is still framing the U.S. rollout as intermittent service rather than full commercial service. The company’s launch timing, satellite cadence and capital spending all point to a buildout that is still tied to execution rather than a finished network product.
Droam Perspective
For satellite IoT and connectivity buyers, the useful signal here is that AST SpaceMobile is still talking in milestones, not in finished service commitments. The company has a target for nationwide intermittent U.S. service by year end, but its own update also points to 2027 and 2028 as the window for more satellites, more launch control and Blacklift’s entry into service.
That matters because the same update ties service timing to manufacturing cadence, launch access, government awards and cash on hand. Buyers comparing satellite options will read this as a company still building toward availability, not one that has moved past deployment risk.