- Satellite communication firm AST SpaceMobile ( NASDAQ: ASTS ) was 13.5% higher after midday Tuesday on heavy volume as the launch of its BlueWalker 3 test satellite gets closer to reality.
- Some 2.8M shares have changed hands Tuesday, vs. a typical average volume of 772,000 shares.
- The satellite, which will test direct communications between a satellite and ordinary mobile phones, has arrived at Cape Canaveral on a journey from off-site tests in California.
- It's set for a launch window in early to mid-September. Over the summer, AST SpaceMobile completed assembly and stowing of BlueWalker 3, which will carry a 693-square-foot phased array that will generate its power from space.
- It will head for low Earth orbit and then test direct-to-cell-phone communication on every inhabited continent, the company says.
- ASTS had originally set the week of Aug. 15 for the launch . When June arrived, the company says it was notified by launch partner SpaceX ( SPACE ) that the window would move into September .
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AST SpaceMobile gains 14% as satellite arrives at September launch site