The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an experimental licence for AST SpaceMobile to launch its first Block2 Bluebird low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, which has ten-times the capacity of its current first-generation birds.

CEO Abel Avellan stated on AST SpaceMobile’s Q2 earnings call in May the company planned to launch its first Block2 Bluebird known as FM1 this month, but the plans fell through.

In a filing to the FCC on 1 July FCC, AST SpaceMobile sought permission to transport the satellite to India for a launch in August.

The experimental licence granted by the FCC on 11 July strictly prohibits AST SpaceMobile from “conducting any commercial operations” from FM1.

AST SpaceMobile’s second-generation birds are key to its plan to deliver ubiquitous voice, video and data services to smartphones in dead zones through partnerships with mobile operators including AT&T and Verizon.

The Block2 Bluebirds feature up to 2,400 square foot communications arrays with beams designed to support a capacity of 40MHz, enabling peak data transmission rates of 120Mb/s.

AST SpaceMobile plans to build 40 second-generation satellites this year with a long-term goal of 90 to enable global service.

On its Q1 earnings call, an AST SpaceMobile executive stated it estimated average capital costs including direct materials and launch expenditure for the constellation would fall in the range of $21 million to $23 million per satellite.

It previously estimated the cost would be $19 million to $21 million.

AST SpaceMobile is seeking to raise $500 million over the next three years to broaden its constellation.

SpaceX rivalry
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, which is provisioning T-Mobile US’ direct-to-device service through Starlink satellites, opposes the Block2 Bluebirds.

In April, it told the FCC AST SpaceMobile’s experimental licence application contained “worrying discrepancies in its orbital debris mitigation plan that require clarification before granting authorisation to launch”.

SpaceX used an FCC filing made in June to criticise AST SpaceMobile’s paperwork and argue its “experimental licence application and supplemental submissions fail to demonstrate substantial completeness or compliance with the Commission’s rules, or that authorising these high-risk test operations would serve the public interest”.

AST SpaceMobile responded on 1 July, stating SpaceX’s allegations “further demonstrate a continued pattern of anticompetitive behaviour aimed at impeding” its progress.