Will SpaceX launch the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird mission before Aug 12?

SpaceX launched the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird mission on Aug. 5, 2026, well ahead of the Aug. 12 deadline, resolving the market YES. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, carrying three AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites, part of the company's constellation designed to provide direct-to-cell broadband connectivity from space to standard smartphones without requiring specialized hardware. Spaceflight Now provided live coverage of the launch, tracking the countdown, liftoff and deployment of the satellites into low Earth orbit. The mission followed a familiar pattern for SpaceX, which has flown numerous AST SpaceMobile satellites in recent years as the two companies have built out a network aimed at eliminating cellular dead zones for partner carriers. The Aug. 5 flight came just three days before another Falcon 9 launched 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Aug. 8, underscoring the company's high cadence of operations across both coasts during the period. The Predict Six community unanimously forecast this outcome, with all three votes predicting the BlueBird mission would fly before Aug. 12, matching the actual result.