Bussin Science Investor
Investor Focused on Risk/Reward
AST SpaceMobile's direct-to-phone satellite network makes it an extremely bullish long-term space-economy bet. Partnerships with more than 60 mobile operators representing over 3 billion potential subscribers and about $1.3 billion in contracted revenue backlog support the case. It targets initial, intermittent broadband coverage in five countries before end-2026; its market cap is roughly half Rocket Lab's, though both face significant execution risks. x.comÂ
Space stocks could regain high-beta flows as SpaceX lockups end and a probable late-November Anthropic IPO threatens AI stocks, much as SpaceX's IPO hurt space names. Hedge funds are overexposed to the Magnificent Seven and underexposed or max short low-quality high beta; falling rates and toppy oil could make the rotation painful for them through 2027. AST SpaceMobile could benefit as intermittent service triggers agreements and Blue Origin possibly returns to the pad in six weeks. x.com x.comÂ
SpaceX's competitive threat makes AST SpaceMobile less attractive at these levels than SpaceX and Rocket Lab. AST SpaceMobile's weekly chart shows a downtrend and strong outflows, though the stock is near marked support. x.comÂ
AST SpaceMobile looks attractive in the $40s despite SpaceX paying $8B for Grain spectrum, a price AST could not match. The stock appears to be pricing in near-complete pessimism, including an anticipated delay of beta service into early 2027. SpaceX's aggressive approach to mobile carriers may favor AST, but carriers continuing to brush it off would break the thesis. SpaceX was the likelier bidder, though AST had reasons for optimism. x.com x.comÂ
AST SpaceMobile's selloff on SpaceX news looks excessive because the satellite-connectivity market could support multiple winners; AST need not be close to SpaceX to have a place. A further fall would make the opportunity more interesting, and AST would probably be the pick over SpaceX. x.com x.com x.comÂ
AST SpaceMobile's progress toward its goals and revenue projections is good, but the question is how much future hype is already priced into the valuation. The bull thesis still holds, though not strongly enough to buy more in the $80s, and less-known opportunities look more appealing. x.comÂ
AST SpaceMobile's satellite network, which connects directly to regular phones, is starting to turn into revenue. Q2 revenue was $31.5 million, up from $1.2 million a year earlier, and it reaffirmed 2026 guidance of $150-200 million. It has 13 BlueBird satellites in orbit with about 45 targeted by early 2027, around $1.3 billion of contracted revenue, and roughly 60 carrier partners including AT&T, Verizon and Vodafone. x.comÂ
AST SpaceMobile's roughly $22 billion market cap leaves a large gap to its $1.1 trillion addressable market, the global mobile wireless market, and that gap is the opportunity. x.comÂ
AST SpaceMobile's economics remain unproven while its finances are strained by heavy capex, negative operating cash flow, rising debt and frequent stock issuance. The forecast opportunity is the only positive; Piper Sandler's cut to its target to $54 from $98 is significant. x.comÂ
Deutsche Bank says AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird progress and carrier joint ventures make SpaceX's spectrum deal less threatening than feared. It upgraded the shares from Neutral to Buy and sees potential for larger partners such as T-Mobile to join through joint ventures. GF institutional tracking shows fund additions, and recent filings indicate net insider buying. Continuous service still requires constellation deployment. AST SpaceMobile could reach $176. x.comÂ