$ASTS TO BUILD ITS OWN REUSABLE ROCKET
AST SpaceMobile announced plans to develop Blacklift, a 20-ton reusable rocket designed to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch, with operations targeted for late 2028.
The company has signed a $1.3B+ agreement with Firefly Aerospace
$FLY, which includes:
- Engines for the first three Blacklift rockets.
- A perpetual license for AST to manufacture Firefly's Miranda and Vira engines at a new U.S. facility.
- Engineering support over three years.
AST will pay approximately $800M upfront, consisting of $400M in cash and 10M–14M
$ASTS shares, plus $250M for engines and $250M for engineering support.
Importantly, AST will continue using external launch providers, with existing agreements covering more than 100 BlueBird satellites for deployment in 2027–2028.
AST plans to unveil Blacklift on November 12 in New York City.