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AST SpaceMobile, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 9 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose to $42.3 million: Revenue was $42.3 million, up from $31.5 million in the second quarter and $14.7 million a year earlier, driven by gateway deliveries and U.S. Government milestones met. Source
  • ASIC microns moved up: Next-generation ASIC microns were pulled forward to BlueBird 34 from BlueBird 50, and production continues through BlueBird 51 at two Texas factories. Source
  • Blacklift to carry five satellites: Management is building Blacklift, a 20-ton rocket using an engine architecture with over a decade of development, enabling up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. Source
  • First coverage roll-out to partners: The first step of coverage roll-out is to strategic partners in the United States, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Source
  • Cash position about $3.2 billion: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were about $3.2 billion at September 30, 2026. Source
  • Japan J-LEO funding agreement: The J-LEO agreement with Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and partner Rakuten carries about $1.0 billion in non-dilutive funding for manufacturing and launch. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses rose: Adjusted operating expenses were $133.6 million, up $14.5 million, led by an $11.0 million increase in adjusted engineering services costs. Source

“We expanded our international commercial footprint, strengthened mobile network operator partnerships, and secured additional spectrum and regulatory authorizations.”

Abel Avellan, AST SpaceMobile's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Full-year 2026 revenue SourceFull year 2026$150.0 million to $200.0 millionKept
BlueBird satellites in orbit SourceBy middle 2027approximately 45 BlueBird satellitesNew
Launch-agreement satellites SourceCumulative 2027 and 2028over 100 BlueBird satellitesNew
Non-dilutive financing pipeline Source2027approximately $1.2 billionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $150.0 million to $200.0 million was described as on track in the prior release and is kept in this release.
  • New: Management announced Blacklift, a proprietary 20-ton rocket intended to give greater control over launch availability and deployment schedules. Source
  • New: Commercial service authorization in Brazil was granted, covering a combined 50 MHz of S-band and low band spectrum. Source

Third-quarter results

  • Revenue rose to $42.3 million: Revenue was $42.3 million, up from $31.5 million in the second quarter and $14.7 million a year earlier, driven by gateway deliveries and U.S. Government milestones met. Source
  • Net loss per share was $0.44: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $132.4 million, or $0.44 per share on basic and diluted shares, against $122.9 million, or $0.45, a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month revenue reached $88.6 million: Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2026 was $88.6 million, against $16.6 million for the same period of 2025. Source

Products, services and government work

  • Products and services both grew: Products revenue was $20.6 million and services revenue $21.8 million in the quarter, against $7.7 million and $7.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Space Force sensing contract awarded: A U.S. Space Force contract for space-based sensing (SB-AMTI) was awarded, with about $100 million in revenue; the company has 16 U.S. Government awards to date. Source
  • Arrays widen addressable market: Management said the largest phased arrays in LEO address a much larger addressable market than direct-to-device alone. Source

“With additional launch capacity and manufacturing output expected to increase, we are focused on accelerating constellation deployment and capitalizing on this expanded opportunity.”

Abel Avellan, AST SpaceMobile's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Satellite build and deployment

  • ASIC chip lifts bandwidth tenfold: Management said the ASIC chip gives a 10x improvement in processing bandwidth compared with in-orbit Block 1 BlueBird satellites. Source
  • BlueBirds 11 to 13 operating: BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 unfolded successfully and are in operation in orbit. Source
  • BlueBirds 14 to 16 await launch: BlueBirds 14, 15 and 16 shipped to Cape Canaveral in September and are waiting for a SpaceX launch date confirmation. Source
  • ASIC microns moved up: Next-generation ASIC microns were pulled forward to BlueBird 34 from BlueBird 50, and production continues through BlueBird 51 at two Texas factories. Source

Launch access and Blacklift

  • Blacklift to carry five satellites: Management is building Blacklift, a 20-ton rocket using an engine architecture with over a decade of development, enabling up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. Source
  • DPAS-rated government program secured: The company secured a United States priority DPAS rating for a dual-use program, with planned launches from SpaceX, Blue Origin and others. Source
  • Unconstrained orbit access planned: Management said Blacklift is intended to ensure regular unconstrained access to orbit starting in late 2028. Source

Service readiness and partners

  • First coverage roll-out to partners: The first step of coverage roll-out is to strategic partners in the United States, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Source
  • First beam handovers validated: Management said it validated the first satellite beam handovers between ground-based and space-based cellular networks with partner AT&T. Source
  • Spectrum access targets set: Shared MNO and controlled MSS spectrum is targeted at about 100 MHz in the U.S. and 60+ MHz globally, market by market. Source
  • Operator ecosystem over 60 carriers: Management expects to work with all major mobile network operators in the U.S. and Europe, within an ecosystem of over 60 operators covering over 3 billion subscribers. Source

Cash, funding and capital spending

  • Cash position about $3.2 billion: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were about $3.2 billion at September 30, 2026. Source
  • Japan J-LEO funding agreement: The J-LEO agreement with Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and partner Rakuten carries about $1.0 billion in non-dilutive funding for manufacturing and launch. Source
  • Gross capitalized property costs: Gross capitalized property and equipment costs were about $2.6 billion, with accumulated depreciation and amortization of $236.8 million. Source
  • Operating cash outflow widened: Net cash used in operating activities was $314.5 million for the nine months, against $136.5 million a year earlier. Source

Costs and operating expenses

  • GAAP operating expenses fell: Total operating expenses were $211.0 million, down $118.1 million from the second quarter, mainly because the second quarter included a $125.9 million loss on involuntary conversion. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses rose: Adjusted operating expenses were $133.6 million, up $14.5 million, led by an $11.0 million increase in adjusted engineering services costs. Source
  • Engineering services costs increased: GAAP engineering services costs rose $8.5 million, partly offset by an $8.2 million decrease in general and administrative costs. Source
  • Adjusted costs excluding cost of revenues: Adjusted operating expenses excluding adjusted cost of revenues were $109.4 million, compared with $95.9 million in the second quarter. Source

Strategy and partner-first positioning

  • Partner-first approach expands scope: Management said the partner-first strategy is expanding its scope of service toward becoming the direct-to-device partner of choice for mobile network operators. Source
  • International partnerships through spectrum: Management cites an international partnership strategy using combined S-band and IMT spectrum allocations in markets such as Brazil and Colombia. Source
  • Priorities for the next period: Management listed its priorities as advancing service readiness, completing the ASIC-enabled production transition, and scaling constellation deployment. Source

Coming up, as management said on 9 November 2026

  • BlueBirds 17 to 19 ship by November: Management expects BlueBirds 17, 18 and 19 to ship by end of November 2026 for a Blue Origin launch in early Q1 2027. Source
  • BlueBirds 20 to 25 ship December and January: BlueBirds 20 through 25 are to ship in December and January for DPAS-rated dual-use launches expected during Q1 2027. Source
  • Blacklift deployments start late 2028: Blacklift is to begin deploying BlueBird satellites into low Earth orbit in late 2028, using Miranda and Vira engines. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Capital expenditure (purchase of property and equipment, nine months) Source$1,154.2 million in 2026, against $669.0 million in 2025

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Launch access depends on timing of U.S. Government launches and on the company's own rocket being built. Source
  • Operational: Management is moving to full-scale ASIC integration while production continues on earlier satellites, a transition it described as in progress. Source
  • Financial: Management said the cash position is to be reinforced with near-term non-dilutive capital. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said it remains on target for the full-year 2026 revenue guidance range. Source
  • On track: Third quarter revenue was described as consistent with plans for a quarterly revenue ramp during 2026. Source
  • Ahead: Next-generation ASIC microns were pulled forward to BlueBird 34 from BlueBird 50. Source
  • Not stated: The prior release referred to preparation for beta service in 2026, which the current release replaces with year-end 2026 coverage.
  • Not stated: The prior release said these satellites would be ready to ship shortly; the current release says they shipped in September 2026.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.