breaking / Space

🚨 AST SpaceMobile Just Signed a $1.3 Billion Deal With Firefly to Build Its Own Rocket

AST SpaceMobile will pay Firefly over $1.3 billion for engines and a licence to build its own reusable rocket, Blacklift, by late 2028.

By Tech Arcade··2 min read

AST SpaceMobile Just Signed a $1.3 Billion Deal With Firefly to Build Its Own Rocket — Tech Arcade
Photo: Siebe Vanderhaeghen / Unsplash

AST SpaceMobile just committed more than $1.3 billion to Firefly Aerospace so it can stop waiting in line for rides to orbit. The two companies announced the deal at 7:30am ET today, and AST confirmed what the money is for: a reusable rocket of its own called Blacklift.

That is a big swing for a company whose day job is building satellites that talk directly to ordinary phones.

Firefly’s shares jumped 12.7% in premarket trading, with AST up 2.75%, the day after a brutal session for tech stocks.

⚡ What Happened

The three-year agreement covers engines, a licence and engineering help. AST breaks the bill down like this:

  • About $800 million upfront for a perpetual licence to manufacture Firefly’s Miranda and Vira engines: $400 million in cash plus 10 to 14 million AST shares
  • $250 million for engines for the first three launches
  • $250 million for engineering services over three years

Firefly will deliver 36 engines: 27 Miranda and nine vacuum-variant Vira. It keeps ownership of the engine IP, and AST will build the engines itself at a new US plant. The site has not been named.

AST describes Blacklift as a 20-ton rocket, carrying up to five BlueBird satellites per launch starting in late 2028. The company has not yet said what the launch itself will cost.

🧠 Why It Matters

Your phone connecting to a satellite depends on someone actually getting those satellites up there, and until now that has meant buying rides on other people’s rockets. AST says owning a rocket gives it regular access to orbit without relying on anyone else’s schedule.

It also finishes a vertical-integration play. AST already makes its phased arrays in-house and BlueBird satellites in Midland, Texas. Rockets are the last big piece it was renting.

Buying a licence for a tested engine is the shortcut. AST says Miranda lets it skip the usual five-to-ten-year development cycle, and Firefly reports more than 175 hot-fire tests on the engine. Test stands are not orbit, though, and Blacklift has yet to fly.

For Firefly, this is a cheque that funds hiring, long-lead materials and new test bays in Briggs, Texas.

🔜 What To Watch

  • 12 November: AST unveils Blacklift in New York, the first chance to get real specs and costs.
  • 10 November: Firefly discusses the deal on its Q3 earnings call at 5pm ET.
  • Late 2028: the first Blacklift target. AST will keep using outside launch providers meanwhile, with agreements covering over 100 BlueBird satellites for 2027 and 2028.

Launch price, development budget and how many rockets AST plans to build are not yet confirmed.

Sources

❓ Quick answers

How much is the Firefly and AST SpaceMobile deal worth?

More than $1.3 billion, announced 6 November 2026: about $800 million for a licence, $250 million for engines and $250 million for engineering services, per AST's release.

What is the Blacklift rocket?

Blacklift is AST SpaceMobile's planned reusable 20-ton rocket, designed to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch starting in late 2028, according to the company.

Will AST SpaceMobile stop using other launch providers?

No. AST says it will keep using external providers, with agreements covering over 100 BlueBird satellites for 2027 and 2028.