A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 8, 9, & 10 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:39 a.m. on 17 June 2026. AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver 24/7 high-speed cellular broadband direct to everyday smartphones worldwide. These advanced satellites feature nearly 2,400 square feet arrays, which will make them the largest commercial phased arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit, surpassing the previous record held by the first-generation BlueBirds at 693 square feet.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

This is the 29th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 21 Starlink missions.