The American company AST SpaceMobile has carried out the first mobile call with traditional mobile phones via its satellite BlueWalker 3 (BW3), according to a press release from the company. During the call, AST Mobile’s CEO Abel Avellan used a Samsung Galaxy S22 phone when he called a team at the Japanese company Rakuten in Japan via BW3 from Texas in the USA.
Satellite size concerns NASA and astronomers
AST SpaceMobile’s BW3 satellite was launched into space in September last year. When the satellite’s antennas are fully deployed, they occupy an area of 64 square meters, which has led to some criticism from both NASA and astronomers. NASA is concerned that the size of the satellites could increase the risk of collisions with other satellites orbiting the Earth. Astronomers believe that AST SpaceMobile’s satellites will hinder space observations from Earth due to their enormous size.
Future plans for AST SpaceMobile’s commercial satellite network BlueBird
BlueWalker 3 is just a test satellite. In the future, AST SpaceMobile plans to launch even larger satellites called BlueBird, which will make up their commercial satellite network for mobile telephony. Above is a clip where AST Mobile talks a little more about this and its future space mobile network. Also included is a photo of AST Mobile’s CEO Abel Avellan when he called from Texas to Japan.
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