24H | AST SpaceMobile Jumps 7% on BlueBird 6 Deployment, MSCI Index Inclusion

AST SpaceMobile Inc. has announced the successful unfolding of its BlueBird 6 satellite, which features the largest commercial communications array antenna ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile rose about 7% in overnight trading.

The phased array spans approximately 2,400 square feet and is engineered to support peak data speeds of up to 120 Mbps, with plans to deliver up to ten times the bandwidth capacity of previous BlueBird satellites.

This innovation is designed to provide full 4G and 5G cellular broadband services directly to unmodified smartphones worldwide. The milestone represents years of proprietary engineering and innovation, supported by more than 3,800 patent and patent pending claims. The results have already been announced by the company.

Additionally, MSCI Inc said on Tuesday it had added satellite communications company Ast Spacemobile Inc to its all country world index, with the Starlink rival being the largest among 63 new additions to the index.

MSCI said it made 63 new additions to its MSCI ACWI Index, and had removed 61 securities from the index.

The three largest additions to the index by market capitalization are AST, Coherent Inc, and FTAI Aviation Ltd.