🇺🇸 BlueBird Satellite Tracker — AST SpaceMobile
AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellites are the largest commercial satellites ever built — and some of the brightest objects you can see pass overhead. Their enormous flat antenna arrays reflect sunlight with extraordinary efficiency, making them naked-eye objects from ordinary suburban skies. Coverage is not global: the Block 1 BlueBirds sit at a low inclination favouring mid-latitudes.
As of 24 August 2026, 12 AST SpaceMobile BlueBirds are in orbit — 1 to 6 and 8 to 13, with BlueBird 7 lost. They are among the largest and brightest commercial satellites, beaming direct to ordinary phones. CelesTrak currently catalogues 14 objects in the AST group, which also includes the BlueWalker 3 prototype and associated hardware. OrbitalNodes shows when the next one passes over you.
OrbitalNodes.ai tracks every operational BlueBird satellite in real time. We show which ones are overhead right now, when they'll next pass your location, and how bright they'll be. BlueBird-6 and every Block 2 satellite since (8 to 13) each carry a 2,400 sq ft phased-array antenna — commercial satellites that rival Hubble for naked-eye brightness.
🛰 TRACK BLUEBIRDS LIVEmag 1.5
mag 3
mag 3–6
● Periodic flares as array rotates
● BB-6: bright star brightness
● BB 1-5: clear but less dramatic
● Slower than ISS — higher orbit
● Visible from suburban skies
BB 1-5: mag 3
Flares: briefly brighter
sudden 2–3× brightness spike
no app, no dish
223 m² array
ground network
Telstra & others
A Starlink dish exists because the satellite’s antenna is small — your dish supplies the missing gain. AST SpaceMobile inverted that: BlueBird carries a 223 m² phased array, around 160 times the area of a Starlink antenna, so the satellite supplies the gain instead. The dish moved off your roof and into orbit — which is why an ordinary phone, with no app and no hardware, can close the link.
Drawn to scale — the Starlink bar really is that thin beside it.
Latency is comparable to ground 4G because the satellite is in low orbit, not geostationary. Throughput is shared across everyone inside a beam, so 10 Mbps is the beam ceiling rather than a per-user speed.
BLUEBIRD BLOCK 2 — THE OPERATIONAL GENERATION
Block 2 is AST SpaceMobile’s operational generation, launching in threes. Each satellite carries the 2,400 sq ft (223 m²) phased array shown above — the largest commercial array ever flown — driven by the AST5000, a chip AST developed with TSMC that provides up to 10 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth. BlueBird 6, the first of the generation, has a launch mass of about 6,100 kg.
The headline figure is total satellite capacity, not the speed any one phone sees. Block 2 peak throughput is around 120 Mbps per beam with up to 40 MHz of spectrum per beam, and a Block 1 BlueBird has already demonstrated 98.9 Mbps in orbit over international waters. What Block 2 adds is the ability to serve far more users at once — the capacity a continuous commercial service needs.
Twelve BlueBirds are in orbit — 1 to 6 and 8 to 13, with BlueBird 7 lost. The three launched on 5 August are still unfolding their arrays. AST treats roughly 45 in orbit as the threshold for continuous coverage, with commercial SpaceMobile service targeted for the first half of 2027. The April 2026 FCC authorisation covers up to 248 satellites and clears Supplemental Coverage from Space over Verizon, AT&T and FirstNet low-band spectrum, with a milestone of 124 satellites in orbit by 2 August 2030. Launches currently go on Falcon 9, three at a time. New Glenn can carry eight at once and ISRO has flown one, but New Glenn has been grounded since the 28 May 2026 pad explosion.
BLUEBIRD FAQ
What is the difference between BlueBird Block 1 and Block 2?
Block 1 is the first five BlueBirds, plus the BlueWalker 3 prototype, using a roughly 693 sq ft phased array. Block 2, beginning with BlueBird 6, uses a 2,400 sq ft array — about three and a half times larger — and the custom AST5000 processor, giving up to ten times the total bandwidth capacity. Block 2 is the generation built for continuous commercial service.
How many BlueBird Block 2 satellites are in orbit?
Seven Block 2 satellites have launched: BlueBird 6 in December 2025, BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 in June 2026, and BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 on 5 August 2026. BlueBird 7 was lost during an April 2026 New Glenn launch failure. The three newest take about two weeks to unfold their arrays and complete checkout. AST SpaceMobile is targeting roughly 45 satellites in orbit during 2026, with production advancing through BlueBird 42.
How big is a BlueBird Block 2 satellite’s antenna?
Each Block 2 BlueBird carries a phased-array antenna of about 2,400 square feet (223 square metres) — the largest commercial phased array ever deployed in low Earth orbit. That large aperture is what lets a standard, unmodified smartphone connect directly to the satellite.
What are AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites?
BlueBird satellites are AST SpaceMobile's commercial constellation designed to provide direct mobile broadband from space to standard smartphones — no special hardware required. The key innovation is the enormous phased-array antenna: BlueBird-6 has a 2,400 sq ft (223m²) array, making it the largest commercial satellite ever built. BlueBirds 1-5 each have a 693 sq ft (64m²) array. The size is necessary to generate enough signal gain to reach ordinary mobile phones on the ground.
How bright are the BlueBird satellites?
Remarkably bright for commercial satellites. BlueBird-6 is estimated at about magnitude 1.5 at its best — comparable to Hubble — though no published photometry of a Block 2 satellite exists yet, so treat that as a projection from its array size. The Block 1 BlueBirds HAVE been measured: an IAU study puts their mean at magnitude 3.44, reaching 0.5 near the zenith, and a separate survey found an average V magnitude of 3.9 with the brightest observation at 1.2. Either way they are comfortably naked-eye from suburban skies. This brightness comes from the huge flat antenna arrays acting as mirrors in orbit. The brightness varies significantly with viewing angle — you'll see periodic flares as the array catches sunlight at the optimal angle.
When can I see BlueBird satellites?
During twilight — the same 30-60 minute window after sunset or before sunrise when you can see the ISS and other LEO satellites. BlueBirds orbit at 520km, just above the ISS (420km), which means slightly longer twilight visibility windows. OrbitalNodes tracks every operational BlueBird and shows predicted pass times for your exact location with magnitude predictions so you know how bright each pass will be.
How do BlueBird satellites provide phone coverage?
Standard mobile networks rely on ground towers with antennas close to your phone. From space at 520km, maintaining a strong enough signal requires an enormous antenna array to compensate for the extra distance. AST SpaceMobile's phased-array technology focuses the signal beam precisely at your location as the satellite moves overhead, giving a brief window of direct satellite connectivity. AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone have all signed agreements to use the network.
Do the BlueBird satellites harm astronomy?
The brightness of the BlueBirds — the Block 1 satellites are measured at a mean of magnitude 3.44, reaching 0.5 near the zenith, and Block 2 is expected to be brighter still — has raised concerns similar to early Starlink satellites. At that brightness they're clearly visible in wide-field telescope images. Unlike Starlink, AST SpaceMobile hasn't made public commitments to darkening the arrays. The astronomy community has flagged the issue and it remains an active discussion. The planned expansion (AST targets around 45 satellites by the end of 2026, and many more beyond) would significantly increase the impact on dark skies.
How is BlueBird different from Starlink?
Fundamentally different purpose. Starlink requires a dedicated dish antenna (the Starlink terminal) and targets homes and businesses. BlueBird targets ordinary smartphones with no additional hardware — the idea is to eliminate dead zones for any mobile user globally. BlueBirds are fewer and much larger than Starlinks, orbiting at a similar altitude (520km vs Starlink’s 550km). The business model is to partner with existing mobile operators rather than selling direct to consumers.
How many BlueBird satellites are there?
Twelve BlueBirds are in orbit. OrbitalNodes tracks 14 objects in the AST catalogue group, a figure that also counts the BlueWalker 3 prototype and associated hardware, so it runs higher than the fleet. The fleet so far: BlueBirds 1–5 (each a 64m² array, launched September 2024), BlueBird 6 (223m² array, launched December 2025), BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 (17 June 2026) and BlueBirds 11, 12 and 13 (5 August 2026), both on a SpaceX Falcon 9. BlueBird 7 was lost on 19 April 2026 when Blue Origin's New Glenn placed it in the wrong orbit, and is being deorbited. AST SpaceMobile is targeting roughly 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026 and around 90 for global service, with production advancing through BlueBird 42.
Where can I see BlueBird satellites from?
BlueBirds 1-5 orbit at lower inclinations targeting coverage over populated mid-latitude regions. BlueBird-6 is in a different orbit. OrbitalNodes tracks every operational BlueBird and shows which ones are visible from your specific location — coverage varies significantly depending on where you are. The tracker updates in real time so you can see exactly what's overhead and plan for upcoming passes.
BlueBird-6, estimated near magnitude 1.5, is one of the brightest commercial satellites in orbit — and the measured Block 1 satellites already reach magnitude 0.5 near the zenith. It leaves bright streaks in amateur astrophotography exposures and is visible in professional telescope fields. If this concerns you, the IAU's Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky has resources on advocacy and mitigation. Interestingly, Reflect Orbital's EARENDIL-1 space mirror is designed to reach similar brightness deliberately — OrbitalSolar.ai → covers the science and ethics of intentional orbital brightness.