AST SpaceMobile to Build Own 20-Ton Rocket to Deploy BlueBird Satellites in Low Earth Orbit Using Miranda Engines from Firefly Aerospace
AST SpaceMobile will build its own 20-ton reusable rocket, named Blacklift, to deploy BlueBird satellites starting in late 2028, using Miranda and Vira engines licensed from Firefly Aerospace. The deal costs roughly $1.3 billion total: about $800 million upfront ($400M cash plus 10-14 million Class A shares) plus $250M for the first three rockets' engines and $250M for three years of engineering support. Management says owning launch completes end-to-end vertical integration, unlocking unconstrained orbit access, better owners' economics, and an expanded TAM into USG radar, secure comms, IoT, and AI edge compute.
Key figures
- Upfront cash
- $400 million
- Shares issued
- 10 to 14 million Class A shares
- Blacklift debut
- late 2028
- Rockets covered
- 3
- Miranda thrust lbf
- 230000
- Satellites per launch
- up to 5
- Upfront consideration
- $800 million
- Engine delivery payment
- $250 million
- Engineering services payment
- $250 million
- Mirana hot fire tests seconds
- 4200
- Satellites under launch agreements
- over 100
AI analysis
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