You know the launch market is tough when satellite companies start building rockets
Summary
Facing difficulties securing transportation for its hardware, satellite manufacturer AST SpaceMobile has announced plans to develop its own rocket. The Texas-based company, which trades publicly and focuses on direct-to-cell communication technology, revealed the new medium-lift launch vehicle project on Friday.
There are optimistic plans for spaceflight, and then there are optimistic plans. AST SpaceMobile is a Texas-based, publicly traded company building very large satellites to provide direct-to-cell communications on Earth. But it has been having trouble finding rides to space. So on Friday, AST announced that it is developing a medium-lift rocket, named Blacklift, which will have the capacity to…
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