AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Soars 31.5% on Looming Launch, Expansion of Next-Generation Satellite

We recently published 10 Stocks Sparking Massive Fortunes. AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) is one of the best performers on Friday.

AST SpaceMobile jumped by 31.53 percent week-on-week, as investors positioned portfolios ahead of the looming launch of its next-generation satellite, alongside plans to expand its manufacturing sites in the US.

Early last week, AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) said that it is scheduled to launch the BlueBird 6—its newest and considered next-generation satellite—from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India on December 15.

As compared with the previous generations, the BlueBird 6 would feature the largest commercial phased array in low Earth orbit at nearly 2,400 square feet, representing a 3.5 times increase in size over the first to fifth generations, and supports 10 times the data capacity.

“Our next-generation satellites will soon enable ubiquitous cellular broadband coverage direct to everyday smartphones from space,” said AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) Chairman and CEO Abel Avellan.

“As an American company, we are proud to demonstrate US leadership in space innovation while pioneering the next era of global connectivity,” he added.

In line with the launch, AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) said that it would also expand its manufacturing sites in Texas and Florida in a bid to ramp up the production of BlueBird 6.

“As we accelerate production of our next-generation BlueBird satellites, the expansion allows us to increase capacity, strengthen our supply chain, and bring even more high-technology manufacturing work back to the United States. This is about building more satellites, faster, and doing it right here at home so we can deliver on our mission to close the connectivity gaps and deliver cellular broadband where it is needed the most,” said Avellan.

In a social media post early last week, AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) said that it would make five launches beginning December 15 until March 2026.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.