World's largest communications satellite beams 4G data straight to cell phones

The satellite, which has caused controversy due to the fact its size could block astronomical observations, uses AT&T spectrum and Nokia RAN technology. The next step for AST SpaceMobile will be to test the satellite at 5G speeds.

"Achieving this milestone from an unmodified, standard cell phone on the ground connecting through our low Earth orbit satellite is another groundbreaking moment in telecommunications history," Abel Avellan, AST SpaceMobile Chairman and CEO said in the company's statement.

Breaking news: Another world-first achievement for #ASTSpaceMobile! Using @ATT cellular spectrum, we connected everyday smartphones to our BlueWalker 3 test satellite and recorded 4G LTE download speeds of >10 Mbps. Read more about this historic feat here: https://t.co/tv0phDKTgh

— AST SpaceMobile (@AST_SpaceMobile) June 21, 2023

The BlueWalker 3 satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in September last year and it was deployed in November. The 693-square-foot (64 square meters) array caused concern around its launch date when Connie Walker, an astronomer at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) NOIRLab, warned that it would be as bright as the star Vega near zenith in twilight.

In April, AST SpaceMobile used BlueWalker 3 to route an audio call between two smartphones, one of which was in Texas and the other in Japan.

Concerns over AST SpaceMobile's massive satellite

AST SpaceMobile's ultimate goal is to create the first space-based cellular broadband network that beams data directly to cell phones. Other companies, including Lynk Global, also have the same goal. Lynk Global recently deployed three satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). AST SpaceMobile, however, will be encouraged by the recent tests that it has a good chance of becoming the first to provide the service.

BlueWalker 3 is a prototype test satellite designed to test AST SpaceMobile's technology. The company aims to eventually send a constellation of 100 satellites, called BlueBirds, to orbit starting in late 2024.

Several astronomers have flagged the rise in the number of satellites in LEO as a concern. In an interview with IE last year, for example, University of Regina astronomer Dr. Samantha Lawler discussed the massive amount of Starlink satellites SpaceX is lifting into space.

Lawler highlighted the concern that Starlink could contribute to the growing problem of space debris, which already has us on the brink of a potentially catastrophic scenario known as Kessler Syndrome.

We are "right on the edge" of Kessler Syndrome, Lawler explained. If it does happen, it would feel like we were "inside a snow globe within a couple of hours of sunrise or sunset," and any efforts to fix the problem would be akin to "collecting bullets." NASA, meanwhile, has also warned that satellites could impede its ability to detect potentially hazardous asteroids headed toward Earth.