FCC Deployment Approval in Hand, AST Eyes September Launch of SCS BlueBirds

The FCC giving the green light to partial deployment of AST SpaceMobile's direct-to-device satellite constellation is "a significant step to targeting 100% nationwide coverage from space of the continental United States on premium cellular spectrum,” President Scott Wisniewski said Monday as the company announced the approval. Under the FCC Space Bureau authorization order in Monday's Daily Digest, AST may operate feeder links and telemetry, tracking and command operations in the V, S and UHF bands. The approval defers on additional frequencies, inducing terrestrial bands that it would use to provide supplemental coverage from space (SCS). The agency said the approval lets AST begin deployment, with the goal of testing a system capable of providing SCS service, subject to additional approvals. "While this grant does not authorize any operations or testing for SCS, we believe that the deployment of five satellites under this limited grant ... will enable AST to request authority to further test this still emerging technology," the agency said. The FCC conditioned the approval on AST making "a good faith effort" to reduce optical brightness of its satellites, choose lower orbital elevations when feasible, and provide orbital information to astronomy sites and astronomers. SpaceX had sought conditions on AST satellites that matched those the agency imposed on the second-generation Starlink satellites. The commission agreed, saying that would let it monitor AST operations continuously. But the agency rejected a 100 object-years metric for measuring AST satellite failures, as Amazon's Kuiper was seeking. The approval covers five BlueBird satellites, with the FCC deferring on 243 others. AST said its first five BlueBirds have completed environmental testing and are ready for shipment to Cape Canaveral this week for a seven-day launch window in September.