American Tower-backed AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), has confirmed its plans to launch its BlueWalker 3 test satellite from Cape Canaveral, FL during the week of August 15, 2022, to test a space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones.
The launch of BlueWalker 3, which will carry a 693-square-foot phased array, is the culmination of a $85 million effort, which included more than 800 ground tests. To date, the company has over 2,300 patent and patent-pending claims in support of its technology. The BlueWalker 3 mission is expected to complete the company’s initial research and development program and facilitate integration testing with mobile network operators around the world.
In May, the FCC granted AST SpaceMobile an experimental license that allows the company to test BlueWalker 3 satellite-to-phone connectivity in the United States at sites in Texas and Hawaii. Once BlueWalker 3 is operational, the company plans to conduct testing on five different continents, in coordination with mobile network operators like Vodafone, Rakuten Mobile, Orange and others.
The experimental license covers BlueWalker 3 space-to-ground testing in the U.S. using 3GPP low-band cellular frequencies and Q/V-band frequencies, subject to certain restrictions.
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