--- title: "AST SpaceMobile Develops Own Rocket Amid Launch Capacity Challenges" url: https://noti.group/ast-spacemobile-develops-own-rocket-amid-launch-capacity-challenges/ language: en publisher: "Noti Group" section: "Technology" published: 2026-11-06T18:20:47.000Z updated: 2026-11-06T20:46:37.150Z id: 525e4d75-71f0-49be-81cf-284d406a5ba9 source: "Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/11/ast-spacemobile-is-so-desperate-for-launch-theyre-building-their-own-rocket/" attribution: "Link to https://noti.group/ast-spacemobile-develops-own-rocket-amid-launch-capacity-challenges/ and name Noti Group when you quote or summarize this story." --- # AST SpaceMobile Develops Own Rocket Amid Launch Capacity Challenges AST SpaceMobile is developing its own rocket, Blacklift, which will have the capability to lift 20 metric tons to low-Earth orbit and launch commercially in late 2028. AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based company building massive satellites for direct-to-cell communications, is facing a major challenge: finding rides to space. Despite its optimistic plans for spaceflight, AST has struggled to secure launch capacity, prompting it to take an unusual step - developing its own rocket. The new rocket, named Blacklift, will have the capability to lift 20 metric tons to low-Earth orbit and is expected to start launching commercially in late 2028. According to Abel Avellan, founder, chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, the Blacklift rocket will provide the company with regular access to orbit and favorable economics. The development of a launch vehicle by a satellite operator is an extraordinary move, but it highlights the changing landscape of the space industry. Companies planning large constellations are increasingly securing launch capacity years in advance, as seen with Amazon's efforts nearly half a decade ago. AST SpaceMobile's decision to develop its own rocket underscores this trend and raises questions about the availability and affordability of launch services. The company's optimism about launching commercially in late 2028 is also noteworthy, given the complexity and challenges associated with developing a new launch vehicle. The development of Blacklift represents a significant investment by AST SpaceMobile, which will need to overcome numerous technical, logistical, and financial hurdles before it can start launching satellites into space. The launch market is witnessing an influx of new entrants, who are making bold claims about their capabilities. One such company is Cowboy Space, which announced in October that it was building a large rocket called Big Iron to launch orbital data centers. The firm's plans include a first flight for its massive rocket as early as 2028. SpaceX pioneered the commercial launch market nearly two decades ago when it announced plans to build a new medium-lift rocket in 2005. At the time, the company was already an established player with extensive experience and expertise. Its development of the Falcon 9 vehicle set a record for the fastest time to orbit, achieved in just 4.7 years. SpaceX's success can be attributed to its advantageous position at the time. The company had been operating for over three years, allowing it to accumulate valuable experience and knowledge. Additionally, its engineers were highly skilled and talented, which undoubtedly played a crucial role in the development process. Furthermore, the Falcon 9 was significantly smaller than some of the newer vehicles being proposed. The Falcon 9's initial form boasted a lift capacity of approximately 10 tons, making it a relatively modest undertaking compared to the larger rockets being developed today. In contrast, Blacklift and Big Iron are reportedly much more massive in size, which raises questions about their feasibility and practicality. Cowboy Space's plans for Big Iron have garnered attention, but its ability to execute them remains uncertain. The company will need to overcome numerous technical, logistical, and financial hurdles before it can start launching satellites into space. Several US companies have been working on medium to heavy lift vehicles since 2015, aiming to challenge the dominance of established players in the launch market. These newcomers include United Launch Alliance's Vulcan, Rocket Lab's Neutron, Relativity Space's Terran R, Firefly/Northrop Grumman's Eclipse, and Stoke Space's Nova, with payload capacities ranging from about 7 to 27 metric tons. While some of these companies have made progress in their development efforts, only Vulcan has successfully reached orbit. This achievement came after an eight-and-a-half-year effort by a highly experienced launch team, which received around $2 billion in federal support for its suppliers over the years. The track record of existing launch companies suggests that developing a new medium- or heavy-lift rocket can take anywhere from five to nine years from public announcement to first orbital launch. Many of these companies have also leveraged prior experience and smaller rockets as stepping stones towards their current projects. AST SpaceMobile has taken a different approach, announcing an agreement with Firefly to acquire the necessary components for its Blacklift rocket. Specifically, Firefly will supply engines for the first three Blacklift rockets, provide engineering services over three years, and grant AST SpaceMobile a perpetual license to manufacture the Miranda and Vira engines. The procurement of engines for the Blacklift rocket is a significant step forward for AST SpaceMobile's launch plans. AST has committed $1.3 billion to Firefly in exchange for an engine license, 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira engines, as well as engineering support over three years. While procuring the Miranda engine will undoubtedly save time in the development process, it is unlikely to eliminate the substantial effort required to develop a medium-lift rocket from scratch. The cost of the engines alone amounts to $83 million per vehicle for the first three Blacklift rockets, making this a significant investment by AST SpaceMobile in its launch capabilities. AST's plans are ambitious, with the company aiming to deploy 90 more BlueBird direct-to-cell satellites in addition to those already contracted with external providers such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. AST's ambitious plans involve deploying over 100 BlueBird satellites by the end of 2028, and with agreements already in place for external providers like SpaceX and Blue Origin, it raises questions about the purpose of Blacklift. The question at hand is whether AST would invest billions to develop a rocket when they don't actually need one. --- Source: [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/11/ast-spacemobile-is-so-desperate-for-launch-theyre-building-their-own-rocket/) Published by Noti Group: https://noti.group/ast-spacemobile-develops-own-rocket-amid-launch-capacity-challenges/