AST Spacemobile has put into operation five more giant satellites and opened their 64 square meter antennas. Company founder Abel Avellon talks of a “significant milestone” and proudly declareThat the Bluebird 1 to 5 satellites have “the largest commercial antenna area” ever sent into low Earth orbit (LEO). We are already working hard on the next generation of commercial satellites, which will have much greater capacity for direct communication with smartphones. The announcement of the commissioning of giant satellites and the American space company is likely to provoke completely different reactions, not only in astronomy.
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The new giant satellites were launched on September 12 aboard a SpaceX rocket. They will soon ensure that smartphones anywhere in the United States can connect directly to satellite and thus will never face lack of network coverage. Cell phones do not require any special technology and should be able to go online at broadband speeds. AST SpaceMobile cooperates with established providers and promises them that it can complement existing mobile networks. exactly when bluebird satellite However, the company does not say that they can start working with unfolded giant antennas.
The launch of the five satellites was preceded by years of testing with its predecessor Bluewalker 3. It was launched into space in autumn 2022 and, after opening its huge antennae, it has become one of the brightest objects in the night sky. However, subsequent brightness fluctuations have indicated that precise orientation has a significant effect on how bright the satellite appears. By bringing five more such giant satellites into operation, AST Spacemobile may once again attract criticism, as the company is making it clear that it is aiming to put dozens of such satellites in space.
The fact that the new space race could make astronomical observations more difficult has been repeatedly pointed out, especially since SpaceX launched Starlink satellite internet. Further mega-constellations are also planned that would include hundreds or even thousands of satellites, for example from Amazon. Although their low brightness compared to their vast numbers ensures that most astronomical images become unusable, the problem with AST spacemobile satellites is different. Although their numbers are quite small, they can still appear with greater intensity in the night sky. Companies are working on researching countermeasures to mitigate the problems.
(mho)
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