SpaceX to launch 3 BlueBird satellites for AST SpaceMobile
SpaceX is sending three new BlueBird satellites into orbit for AST SpaceMobile early Wednesday, June 17, with a Falcon 9 rocket launching from Cape Canaveral at 2:39am ET.
The mission aims to boost a network that could let you get cellular broadband straight to your phone, no matter where you are, even without cell towers.
BlueBird antennas nearly 2,400 square feet
These BlueBird satellites have the largest antennas ever used in commercial space; each one covers nearly 2,400 square feet (223 square meters) when unfurled.
They'll join BlueBird 6, which launched last December, after an earlier satellite was lost in April.
After liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage will try landing on the drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas," and all three satellites will be deployed in a 10.5-minute span beginning about 54.5 minutes after launch, a big step for connecting more people globally.