WASHINGTON, AST SpaceMobile executives have expressed confidence they can develop a reusable launch vehicle, Blacklift, within two years, citing the use of Firefly Aerospace engines to bypass years of engineering work, even as industry skepticism and questions about the rocket's launch site and composite tank construction persist.
The company, which is developing a constellation of direct-to-device satellites, held an “unveiling” event in New York on Nov. 12 to discuss the Blacklift launch vehicle, which it announced on Nov. 6. AST SpaceMobile said it is developing Blacklift to provide its own launch capacity for its BlueBird satellites, citing a constrained launch market.
“We’re not doing this thing because we want to be in the launch business. We want this because we have so much demand of our satellites and, as you have seen it, we cannot get enough launches on time,” Abel Avellan, chief executive of AST SpaceMobile, said at the event.
Blacklift, with a payload capacity of 20 tons to low Earth orbit, will be able to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. The vehicle will be used exclusively for AST’s satellites, with a goal of launching twice a month.
The event featured no hardware beyond videos of engines from Firefly Aerospace that AST is acquiring for Blacklift and animations of the vehicle. AST provided some technical details: Blacklift will be a three-stage rocket, using seven Firefly Miranda engines in its first stage, two Firefly Vira engines in the second stage and one Vira engine in the third stage. Avellan said the three-stage approach is tied to plans to recover and reuse the first stage, saying it would not go up as high and would come back down more easily than one going higher and maneuvering back to Earth. Existing reusable rockets such as Falcon 9 and New Glenn, and those in development by Relativity Space, Rocket Lab and Stoke Space, use two-stage designs.
Blacklift will entirely use carbon composite materials. Avellan said this reduces the vehicle's dry mass by 40% compared to metallic structures. However, Rocket Lab, another company using carbon composites for launch vehicle structures, had a composite propellant tank built for the first stage of its Neutron rocket damaged in qualification testing in January. In October, Rocket Lab reported another issue with the tanks, causing it to delay the vehicle’s first launch to sometime in 2027.
The rocket's schedule calls for a first flight in late 2028. AST argues that its decision to use Firefly engines, rather than develop its own, makes that schedule feasible. “A typical design cycle of a rocket could be over a decade. Eighty percent of that is on the engine,” Avellan said. “We’re starting this program on third base. We bypass 10 years of engineering and R&D.”
AST said it is also buying other components, from avionics to separation systems, from “heritage suppliers,” although Avellan said the company would be “95% vertically integrated” on the rocket. He said the company is starting to make composite tanks at its Midland, Texas, factory using existing tools, with 10 tanks completed by January for testing.
A point of contention is where Blacklift will launch from. In a Nov. 9 earnings call, Avellan indicated that the vehicle would initially launch from the same pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, built for Northrop Grumman’s Antares and being updated to support Firefly’s Alpha and the joint Firefly/Northrop Eclipse vehicles. “Our first launches are going to be upgrades on existing launch, which Firefly already have prearranged for their Eclipse configuration. Wallops will require an upgrade that we can fit in the timeframe that we have,” he said. A slide in AST’s presentation stated: “Antares heritage pad at Wallops, already being upgraded for Miranda engines.”
However, a spokesperson for the Virginia Spaceport Authority, which operates the commercial launch pads at Wallops, told SpaceNews that while it has engaged in “early, preliminary conversations” with AST about hosting Blacklift launches, those talks do not include Pad 0-A, the pad built for Antares. The options available to AST at Wallops include renovating Pad 0-B, which is used for smaller solid-fuel rockets, or building a new pad.
The company did not disclose how much it plans to spend developing Blacklift beyond the $1.3 billion contract with Firefly that includes engines for the first three rockets, a license to allow AST to produce its own engines and engineering services.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- AST SpaceMobile’s plan to develop its own rocket reflects a broader trend of satellite operators seeking to control their launch supply amid a constrained market, potentially reshaping the commercial launch industry.
- The two-year development timeline, if met, would be among the fastest for a reusable rocket, setting a new benchmark for the industry.
- Disagreements over launch site availability could delay the program, affecting AST’s ability to deploy its satellite constellation on schedule.
Background
AST SpaceMobile is a company developing a constellation of direct-to-device satellites aimed at providing cellular connectivity from space. The launch vehicle market has seen growing demand, with companies like SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Firefly offering reusable or partially reusable rockets. The Blacklift announcement comes as AST faces pressure to launch its BlueBird satellites, with existing launch contracts constrained.
Key Perspectives
AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan: Asserts the company can build Blacklift in two years by using Firefly engines and heritage components, bypassing a decade of R&D. He says the three-stage design aids first-stage recovery and that composite materials reduce dry mass.
Firefly Aerospace (via contract): Is supplying Miranda and Vira engines to AST, along with a license for AST to produce its own engines, under a $1.3 billion deal.
Virginia Spaceport Authority: States that talks with AST about launching at Wallops are preliminary and do not include Pad 0-A, contrary to AST’s claims. Options include renovating a smaller pad or building a new one.
Rocket Lab (by example): Has faced delays in its composite tank development for the Neutron rocket, highlighting potential technical risks for AST’s composite approach.
What to Watch
- Whether AST can produce and test composite propellant tanks by early 2027, as planned.
- The outcome of launch site negotiations with the Virginia Spaceport Authority and whether Wallops can support the rocket’s timeline.
- Industry reactions to the three-stage design’s feasibility for reusability versus the two-stage norm.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedAST expressed confidence it could field Blacklift within two years despite industry skepticism.SpaceNews: “AST SpaceMobile executives expressed confidence in the company’s ability to field a new reusable launch vehicle in just two years despite widespread industry skepticism”
- SupportedAvellan said AST wanted its own launch capacity because it could not get enough launches on time.SpaceNews: ““We’re not doing this thing because we want to be in the launch business. We want this because we have so much demand of our satellites and, as you have seen it, we cannot get enough launches on time,” Abel Avellan, chief executive of AST SpaceMobile, said at the event.”
- SupportedAvellan said using Firefly engines would help AST bypass 10 years of engineering and R&D.SpaceNews: ““A typical design cycle of a rocket could be over a decade. Eighty percent of that is on the engine,” he said. “We’re starting this program on third base,” he added. “We bypass 10 years of engineering and R&D.””
- SupportedThe sources leave Blacklift’s launch site in question; the Virginia Spaceport Authority said its early talks with AST did not include Pad 0-A.SpaceNews: “while it has engaged in “early, preliminary conversations” with AST about hosting Blacklift launches, those talks do not include Pad 0-A”
- SupportedThe source says it is unclear how well AST’s composite-structure experience will translate to building tanks.SpaceNews: “However, it is not clear how well the company’s experience with composite structures will translate to tanks.”
- SupportedBlacklift is designed to carry 20 tons to low Earth orbit.SpaceNews: “Blacklift, with a payload capacity of 20 tons to low Earth orbit”
- SupportedBlacklift will be able to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch.SpaceNews: “will be able to carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch”
- SupportedAST’s goal is to launch Blacklift twice a month.SpaceNews: “The vehicle will be used exclusively for AST’s satellites, with a goal of launching twice a month.”
- SupportedBlacklift’s first flight is scheduled for late 2028.SpaceNews: “the vehicle’s schedule, which calls for a first flight in late 2028.”
- SupportedAST said it expected to have 10 composite tanks completed by January for testing.SpaceNews: “He said the company is starting to make composite tanks at its Midland factory using existing tools, with 10 tanks completed by January for testing.”
- SupportedAvellan said composites reduce Blacklift’s dry mass by 40% compared with metallic structures.SpaceNews: “Composites, he said, reduce the vehicle’s dry mass by 40% compared to metallic structures.”
- SupportedThe Firefly contract is worth $1.3 billion and covers engines for the first three rockets, a license for AST to produce its own engines, and engineering services.SpaceNews: “the $1.3 billion contract with Firefly that includes engines for the first three rockets, a license to allow AST to produce its own engines and engineering services.”