Satellite operators are seeking to reassure investors and customers that they have secured future launch capacity, even when the actual dates for the availability of some rockets remain uncertain. This comes amid an increasingly capacity-constrained launch market, with several operators relying on rideshare services, particularly SpaceX flights, amid concerns that these programs could be reduced or discontinued in the coming years.
During second-quarter earnings calls, several companies confirmed that they had booked flights for their satellites two years or more into the future. This behavior reflects a practical shift in operators’ priorities: securing access to orbit has become an early step no less important than completing the satellites themselves.
AST SpaceMobile Reorders Its Constellation-Building Plan
AST SpaceMobile is deploying a constellation for direct-to-device broadband services, but the explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket on May 28 slowed its deployment plan. The company had said that the incident would delay the start of commercial service by three to six months, to the first half of 2027.
On the earnings call on August 10, the company said it had booked enough flights to complete its initial constellation, which targets about 45 satellites. Including five first-generation BlueBird satellites, it now has 12 satellites in orbit, six of which were launched on two Falcon 9 missions on June 17 and August 5.
The company’s plan calls for nine additional flights to complete the initial constellation, but it specifies when the satellites will be completed, not the launch dates. The satellites for the final flight are scheduled to be completed in February 2027. Scott Wisniewski, president of AST SpaceMobile, said the company had booked 10 flights with two providers and was targeting an average launch cadence of one flight every month or two.
In the near term, the company will likely rely on Falcon 9 while New Glenn remains grounded. Although Blue Origin is working to rebuild the launch pad at Cape Canaveral and return to flight before the end of the year, Wisniewski made clear that AST is not basing its calculations for this year on the rocket’s return. With Falcon 9 able to carry only three BlueBird satellites compared with as many as eight on New Glenn, the plan will require some New Glenn flights to reach 45 satellites in early 2027.
Advance Bookings Extend Beyond 2028
Other companies face a different challenge: securing future rideshare flights. John Serafini, chief executive of HawkEye 360, said the company had booked flights for its satellites through 2028. However, it sees open questions about availability in 2029 and 2030 and beyond, particularly if SpaceX reduces or cancels some Falcon 9 Transporter and Bandwagon flights.
HawkEye 360 is exploring options with Firefly Aerospace, Stoke Space and Rocket Lab, as well as brokers that organize rideshare flights. Spire Global, which uses these flights to deploy its Lemur satellites for tracking, weather data and other services, said that launch capacity booked through 2028 would allow it to continue adding data-collection capabilities according to its own schedule.
Why Does This Development Matter?
These statements reveal that having completed satellites alone does not guarantee that deployment plans can continue; the schedule also depends on rocket availability, vehicle safety and launch providers’ ability to maintain rideshare programs. Companies are therefore working to distribute risk among more than one provider, although near-term alternatives are not always available.
AST SpaceMobile is also considering partnerships or acquisitions to increase vertical integration and reduce the risks of relying on external launch providers. However, the article points to the limited options available for acquiring a launch provider capable of supplying near-term capacity. United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket has also not launched since February, after one of its four solid rocket boosters experienced a malfunction, and no date has been announced for the resumption of flights.