AST SpaceMobile Targets Late 2028 Start for Blacklift Rocket

AST SpaceMobile plans to begin using its Blacklift rocket in late 2028, alongside outside launch agreements that cover more than 100 BlueBird satellite deployments across 2027 and 2028. A new agreement with Firefly Aerospace covers engines, a manufacturing license and engineering support for the first three rockets.

AST announced the rocket plan Nov. 6 as part of its end-to-end vertical integration strategy and said it will continue using external launch providers. The company describes Blacklift as a 20-ton rocket designed for reusability, with each launch designed to carry as many as five BlueBird satellites. The move builds on AST's BlueBird satellite rollout plans.

Firefly is to supply 27 Miranda engines and nine vacuum-variant Vira engines for the first three rockets. The agreement gives AST a perpetual license to manufacture the engines and includes three years of engineering support. AST said Miranda had completed more than 175 hot-fire tests, totaling more than 4,200 seconds.

AST valued the manufacturing license at approximately $800 million, comprising $400 million in cash and 10 million to 14 million shares of Class A common stock. The final share count will be determined through a forward VWAP calculation. AST valued engine deliveries at $250 million and engineering support at another $250 million. Firefly valued the combined agreement at more than $1.3 billion.

“The Blacklift rocket is the springboard to significantly expand our total addressable market,” AST founder, chairman and CEO Abel Avellan said. AST President Scott Wisniewski said the Miranda engine would help the company avoid the traditional five-to-10-year development cycle as it builds Blacklift.

Firefly CEO Jason Kim called the engine decision one of the highest-stakes choices for a company building a rocket and said AST had selected Firefly as its partner.