Will New BlueBird 7 Launch and SHIELD Win Change AST SpaceMobile's (ASTS) Dual-Use Narrative

In January 2026, AST SpaceMobile announced that its next-generation BlueBird 7 satellite, identical to BlueBird 6 and featuring a nearly 2,400-square-foot commercial communications array capable of peak data rates up to 120 Mbps, is scheduled to launch in late February on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral. Paired with its recent award of a prime position on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s SHIE…