Now, theres five more of them, as the company builds out its satellite constellation.
AST SpaceMobile is seeking to create the first space-based cellular broadband web connection directly accessible by cell phones.
On its own, one satellite is bright enough to mess with observations of the cosmos.
Conceptual image of AST Spacemobile’s Bluewalker satellite.AST Spacemobile
The prototype satellite, BlueWalker 3,launched in September 2022and unfurled its array around two months later.
The company was quite proud of its size, Made in TXsize matters!
Avellanboastedon Twitter, when referring to BlueWalker 3.
Astronomers, however, were not amused.
However, after deploying its antenna array, itsbrightness increased by about two magnitudes.
The newly launched satellites are just as large as the prototype, but future models could be even larger.
Were just getting started, Avellan said during a livestream, Space.comreported.
Our next generation of satellites will be three and a half times larger.
There are currently no official rules to regulate the brightness of satellites in orbit.
AST SpaceMobile isnt the only company trying to build cellular towers in space.
Amazon, OneWeb, and Lynk Global are other companies trying to get in on the action.
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