SMRTR Science & EngineeringFeb 12, 2026Scientific American

The largest-ever satellite of its kind just unfurled its wings in low-Earth orbit

SMRTR summary

AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 6 satellite successfully deployed its massive antenna in low-Earth orbit, creating the largest commercial communications array ever at 2,400 square feet—roughly the size of a tennis court. The Texas company plans to launch dozens more of these giant satellites to create a cellular broadband network for smartphones, but astronomers warn the satellites will be extremely bright and visible to the naked eye, potentially disrupting ground-based astronomy research and affecting animals that navigate by stars.

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