10 February 2026 AST SpaceMobile operator announced, that the BlueBird satellite 6 successfully deployed its world's largest commercial antenna in low Earth orbit. Its area is approx 223 m².
For reference: AST SpaceMobile is an American space company, which is creating the world's first satellite broadband cellular network, which works directly with the standard ones, unmodified smartphones. It is a direct competitor of Starlink, aiming to provide 4G/5G connectivity in remote areas with the support of Google, AT&That's Vodafone.
The company already has six smaller satellites, which operate in low Earth orbit, and plans to launch dozens of the same giants, like BlueBird 6. In the future, these devices will form a cellular broadband network, specially designed for ordinary smartphones. The deployed antenna of the satellite occupies an area slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court, unlike Starlink satellites, which are about the size of a large table. A feature of the device is also its bright color, about which astronomers speak negatively. According to scientists, the presence of many such bright satellites will interfere with astronomical research, will be disastrous for observers with the naked eye and can even create serious problems for migratory birds and other animals, which are guided by the stars.