{"id":416551,"date":"2025-09-11T19:23:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T19:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/416551\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T19:23:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T19:23:21","slug":"ast-spacemobile-jabs-spacex-for-overloading-earths-orbit-with-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/416551\/","title":{"rendered":"AST SpaceMobile Jabs SpaceX for Overloading Earth’s Orbit With Satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"

SpaceX’s approach to satellite cellular connectivity<\/a> is facing criticism from rival AST SpaceMobile, which claims it can achieve the same results without flooding Earth\u2019s orbit with \u201cthousands\u201d of satellites. <\/p>\n

Texas-based AST threw the subtle shade in a Tuesday post<\/a> that touted its \u201ccommitment to responsible space operations,\u201d which includes keeping the skies clear of satellite debris.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company didn\u2019t name SpaceX, but it did allude to the home broadband-focused Starlink constellation, which currently spans over 8,000 satellites and could one day reach 30,000<\/a>, if SpaceX receives regulatory approval. In contrast, AST says its own satellite system promises to be a leaner alternative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis approach is remarkably efficient: with our large, powerful satellites, we can achieve global coverage with approximately 90 satellites \u2014 not thousands or even tens of thousands required by other systems,\u201d the post said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: AST SpaceMobile)\n<\/p>\n

“Beyond launching significantly fewer satellites overall, we are committed to minimizing our footprint in space through every aspect of design and operation,” AST adds. <\/p>\n

SpaceX has been critical of AST\u2019s upcoming next-generation BlueBird satellites, calling them<\/a> out as “tennis-court-sized” spacecraft that threaten to upend orbital safety.\u00a0The FCC is reviewing the company\u2019s application<\/a> to operate a satellite cellular service for phones in the US. If all goes well, AST will cross a crucial threshold and receive clearance to operate a constellation up to 248 satellites in size. But the same process also involves collecting public comments, including from competitors, forcing AST to answer and possibly defend its approach.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s probably why AST\u2019s post offers an overview of the company\u2019s efforts to make its proposed satellite constellation safe and reliable. This includes ongoing agreements and collaborations with the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the International Astronautical Union to protect the Earth\u2019s orbital environment and reduce the potential brightness<\/a> of the satellites \u2014 something SpaceX has also<\/a> been working on for Starlink.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"t-mobile<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: PCMag\/Michael Kan)\n<\/p>\n

AST and SpaceX\u00a0are competing to lead in the emerging market of satellite connectivity for smartphones. But SpaceX already has a significant head start. Its cellular Starlink system, which spans over 650 satellites, has already been delivering service through T-Mobile’s T-Satellite add-on plan, including support for text messages and even satellite data<\/a> for mobile apps.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

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\"Skylo,<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

This week, Elon Musk’s company also reached a $17 billion deal to acquire spectrum from Boost Mobile\u2019s parent company, EchoStar, which promises to take the cellular Starlink service to the next level, making it comparable to a ground-based 4G service, according to SpaceX. Still, the company needs at least two years<\/a> before it can begin utilizing the spectrum for commercial use since it\u2019ll require smartphone vendors to update their products with chips capable of communicating over the additional radio bands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, AST is facing questions over whether it can launch enough satellites in time to begin<\/a> offering the service through partners AT&T and Verizon by next year. The company currently only has five BlueBird satellites in orbit, when it needs between 45 and 60 to offer continuous service across the US. However, AST\u2019s prototype<\/a> second-generation BlueBird satellite, FM1, might not launch until December or January, when it was previously planned for August.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, AST’s CEO last month said<\/a> that his company has “planned orbital launches every one to two months on average during 2025 and 2026. … And we are on target to complete 40 satellites equivalent of microns by early 2026 to support full voice, data, and video space-based cellular broadband services.\u201d<\/p>\n

About Michael Kan<\/p>\n

\n Senior Reporter\n <\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.<\/p>\n

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\n Read Michael’s full bio
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Read the latest from Michael Kan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SpaceX’s approach to satellite cellular connectivity is facing criticism from rival AST SpaceMobile, which claims it can achieve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3844],"tags":[70,413,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-416551","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-space","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115187299971056623","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}