A new contract with the U.S. government will enable AST SpaceMobile to compete for prototype demonstration projects under the country’s Space Development Agency (SDA)’s Hybrid Acquisition for proliferated Low-earth Orbit (HALO) program, which the SDA said is designed to “accelerate the development and deployment of advanced space technologies” and will “foster competition, drive innovation and rapidly deliver cutting-edge capabilities” to the Department of Defense (DoD).
The contract means that AST SpaceMobile can now compete directly as a prime contractor for specific prototype orders, giving it the opportunity to demonstrate the “feasibility and scalability” of its satellite technology for government use. The company has made several claims that its five BlueBird satellites are “the largest-ever communications arrays to be deployed commercially in low Earth orbit,” which is further says enabled them to serve both communications and non-communications applications.
Other companies selected for the HALO program include Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, LeoStella LLC, Muon Space, Inc. and Kepler Communications U.S. Inc. The SDA said that the future prototype orders under HALO will focus on “rapid end-to-end mission demonstrations with launch of two identical satellites 12-18 months after award,” adding that the first prototype orders in HALO are for demonstrations around reducing the risk and illustrating “the feasibility of proliferation for future tactical data links and optical communication missions.”
SDA director Derek Tournear commented: “We believe HALO will also increase the pool of performers capable of bidding on future SDA programs, including participation in layers of future tranches.”
For AST SpaceMobile, said Chris Ivory, AST SpaceMobile chief commercial officer and head of its government business unit, the initial contract “validates [the company’s] commitment to developing innovative solutions for national security space needs … Our space-based cellular broadband technology has the potential to enhance SDA’s stated mission at the transport, tracking, and ground layers in a secure and reliable way.”
In May, AST SpaceMobile stuck a deal with Verizon, in which the carrier issued strategic investment of $100 million that included a $35 million loan and $65 million in commercial prepayments. AST will also gain access to Verizon’s 850 MHz spectrum for service; it has a similar deal with AT&T, which the satellite company said will enable it to provide approximately 100% geographical coverage of the continental United States via 850 MHz.
The company also stated in August that it is planning and production of 17 BlueBird satellites in its “Block 2” phase is underway at its manufacturing facilities in Texas.