AST SpaceMobile Is Building Its Own Rocket — and Says It's "Simple"

In a move that has surprised even space industry observers, AST SpaceMobile announced this week that it is developing its own reusable 20-ton rocket, dubbed Blacklift, to launch its BlueBird satellites into low Earth orbit starting in late 2028. The company, which until now has relied on third-party launch vehicles including SpaceX and Blue Origin, says the decision is purely a logistical necessity. "We are not doing this because we like rockets. We are doing this because we have so much demand for our satellites and we cannot get enough launches," founder and CEO Abel Avellan told investors during a presentation in New York on Thursday.

The launch bottleneck

AST SpaceMobile's situation is emblematic of the launch capacity crisis affecting the entire space sector. The company needs to deploy hundreds of BlueBird satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver on its promise of direct-to-cellphone connectivity without requiring special antennas. To date, it has launched 13 BlueBird satellites—including eight "Block 2" variants—using SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Glenn rockets. But in April 2026, a problem during New Glenn's third commercial mission placed one AST satellite in the wrong orbit, resulting in the loss of a BlueBird. Three additional satellites are now waiting for a SpaceX launch slot.

The situation worsened when Blue Origin took the New Glenn out of service for repairs after the anomaly, eliminating one of AST's main alternatives. "We don't have enough launch capacity to get our satellites into orbit now or, by our projections, in the near future," Avellan explained.

What is Blacklift?

The Blacklift rocket is designed as a three-stage vehicle with composite tanks, capable of carrying 20 metric tons to low Earth orbit—up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. The first stage is reusable, and the vehicle will launch from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on the pad originally built for the Antares rocket. The goal is to conduct two launches per month from that location.

The engine choice was strategic: AST signed an agreement with Texas-based Firefly Aerospace to supply Miranda and Vira engines—both with over a decade of development and proven flight heritage. The contract includes delivery of 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira engines (the vacuum variant) for the first three Blacklift rockets, plus a license for AST to manufacture the engines itself in the future. The total value of the deal exceeds $1.3 billion.

"The Miranda engine allows us to leapfrog the traditional five-to-10-year development cycle as we build Blacklift," said company president Scott Wisniewski. The Miranda engines generate 230,000 pounds of thrust and have accumulated more than 4,200 seconds of burn time, including a flight-like test at 110% performance beyond nominal flight duration.

The vertical integration strategy

Blacklift completes the long-held vertical integration strategy of AST SpaceMobile. The company already manufactures its own phased-array antennas in-house—the largest ever deployed in low Earth orbit by a commercial satellite, with 2,400 square feet (223 square meters) of coverage per satellite. With Blacklift, AST will control both satellite manufacturing and access to space.

During the same presentation, AST unveiled an ambitious mass production schedule for its satellites. Satellites 14 through 16 are already at Cape Canaveral awaiting launch, with three more expected this month. Production of satellites 29 through 51 is underway at a pace of roughly six per month. The company says it has 28 satellites ready to ship by January.

A highlight of the event was the integration of ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), a component that increases each satellite's capacity tenfold. The BlueWalker 3 test satellite processed 100 MHz of spectrum; the first generation of BlueBirds handled 1 GHz; ASIC-equipped satellites will process 10 GHz. Satellite 45 and all subsequent models will include integrated artificial intelligence capabilities.

The direct-to-cellular connectivity market

AST SpaceMobile is targeting approximately 100 MHz of spectrum in the United States and 40 to 60 MHz in other countries, combining operator spectrum with its own holdings—which recently expanded to include 50 MHz in Brazil. The company expects to begin intermittent nationwide service in the United States before the end of 2026.

Earlier this month, AST, alongside partners AT&T, Ericsson, and Nokia, reached a milestone in integrating satellite and terrestrial services, demonstrating the technical feasibility of connectivity to standard cellphones. The company also secured a DPAS (Defense Priorities and Allocations System) rating from the U.S. government for its dual-use program, facilitating launches for U.S. government missions.

The road to full operational capability remains long. AST has already lost a satellite and experienced launch delays. Avellan himself acknowledged there are "no guarantees" that Blacklift will fly as planned, and the company will continue relying on external launch providers—agreements for which now cover more than 100 BlueBirds expected for 2027 and 2028 combined.

By building its own rocket, will AST SpaceMobile make the leap from satellite startup to full-scale space infrastructure—or will it overextend itself in an endeavor that has already brought down larger companies? The answer may not be known until 2028, when the first Blacklift is expected to launch.

Sources: Via Satellite, JSpace News, Space.com

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