AST SpaceMobile’s June Launch Plan Puts Its 2026 Satellite Goal Back in Focus

Summary

The second quarter of the year has been a rocky one for aerospace and telecommunication services newcomer AST SpaceMobile NASDAQ: ASTS. Between a failed BlueBird satellite deployment in April and a monumental Q1 FY2026 earnings miss in May, headline risk has put considerable pressure on ASTS.Get AST SpaceMobile alerts:Sign Up But the stock’s dramatic price swings are nothing new to shareholders. The volatile yet popular SpaceX competitor hasn’t just proven resilient; it has proven time and time again that it is capable of defying analyst ratings. Over the past month, the stock has gained more than 37%, and since its year-to-date low on May 5, ASTS has surged nearly 66%. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) Price Chart for Tuesday, May, 26, 2026 Now, on the back of a proposed joint venture announcement from strategic partners AT&T NYSE: T, T-Mobile NASDAQ: TMUS, and Verizon NYSE: V, the space-based cellular company is eyeing mid-June for the deployment of the next three satellites in its direct-to-device (D2D) constellation. AST SpaceMobile’s June Launch Becomes a Key Test After BlueBird 7AST SpaceMobile Today$124.07 +18.21 (+17.20%) As of 01:22 PM Eastern52-Week Range$22.47▼$129.89Price Target$79.45 Currently, AST SpaceMobile has six BlueBird satellites—the largest commercial arrays currently in low Earth orbit (LEO)—deployed. That figure should be seven, but on April 19, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket deposited BlueBird 7 into an altitude too low for it to sustain operations. BlueBird 7 has since been deorbited with the cost absorbed by AST SpaceMobile’s insurers, leaving the company’s total satellites in orbit at six and sparking speculation that the Midland, Texas-based company will not be able to meet its 2026 launch target. That goal remains lofty, with the company aiming for 45 to 60 BlueBirds in LEO by year’s end. But BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 are tentatively scheduled for June launches, which would go a long way in keeping AST SpaceMobile on track to hit its year-end ta...