Earth2Space

Daily Recap – December 8, 2025

Demo Days & Defense Dollars: FirstNet Validates Orbit, NDAA Fuels Neutron Fire

AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) – FirstNet Goes Live, UBS Margins Soar to 90%+, L-Band FCC Unlock

A banner day capped by FirstNet’s live demo video, teasing a “major program update very soon,” while the UBS fireside chat painted a picture of explosive growth: 90%+ margins, government radar moats, and enough cash for 100+ satellites. Community voices lit up X with “game-changer” calls, as the podcast unpacked Europe JV synergies and orbital AI plays—positioning AST as the resilient backhaul king in a Starlink-congested sky.

• FirstNet Live Demo Video Drops: At noon CT, FirstNet (with AT&T) released footage of federal, state, and local responders testing seamless voice, data, and video over Band 14 spectrum via the five Block 1 BlueBirds in orbit. Simulated remote ops—like mountain rescues or offshore crises—showed standard phones holding crystal-clear links without mods. Caption: “Welcome to the future of public safety interoperability… stay tuned for a major program update very soon.” Builds on April FCC Band 14 trials and January push-to-talk labs, closing gaps in 40% of U.S. rural/wildland zones for 3M+ responders. AT&T hyped it as a “delightful testing update,” sparking instant buzz: “This is huge,” “life-saving tech,” and “get ready.” Video hit 80K+ views fast, with speculation on a multi-hundred-million definitive agreement in 2026 (extending to Verizon Frontline by 2027).
• UBS Fireside Chat (Scott Wisniewski, 1:30 p.m. ET):
  • Manufacturing at full rate.
  • BlueBird 6 (2,400 sq ft array, 10x capacity) NET Dec 15 from India, BlueBird 7 shipping to Cape Canaveral now for Q4/Q1 SpaceX slot.
  • Flexibility on launch providers confirmed.
  • 6 sats/month short-term (automation scales beyond).
  • $50-75M H2 ’25 revenue reaffirmed, $3.2B liquidity for 100+ sats (beyond 45-60 YE26 target for U.S./EU/JP coverage).
  • OpEx ~$60M/quarter, ticking up slightly.
  • “Expect margins in excess of 90% over time.”
  • Government pivot: From non-story at IPO to 10 use cases (each $100M+/year POR, 2-5 year contracts).
  • Large arrays enable historic orbital power for radar/strategic apps, entering Golden Dome talks—dual-use avoids vendor lock, aligns with U.S. timelines.
  • FirstNet’s live demo builds on a 2024 AT&T collaboration milestone.
  • Band 14 spectrum ties into a $6.5B network upgrade (2022 Infrastructure Act) for rural coverage.
  • Phased-array tech, rooted in 3,800+ patents, outshines Starlink in D2D reliability.
  • “Major program update” tease follows a July 2025 Inmarsat-Viasat FirstNet deal, hinting at a satellite consortium.
  • Radar capabilities could boost FirstNet’s situational awareness post-2023 Maui wildfires, addressing critical comms gaps.
• FCC L-Band Filing: Submitted via Ligado subsidiary for North American MSS ops; approval eyed 1H ’26, enhancing BlueBird “tail” signal processing for D2D 5G/6G moat (3,800+ patents).
• Podcast Episode (Anpanman Host): Fresh drop covers Vodafone SatCo for Europe, AST’s patents scaling orbital AI data centers, and SpaceX EU frictions accelerating MSS allocation by 2027. Frames AST as “strategic nexus” for AI backhaul amid Starlink’s $520B valuation—resilient, scalable, gigawatt-ready.

Rocket Lab ($RKLB) – RAISE-4 Window Opens Tonight, NDAA Locks SDA/TacRS Wins, Neutron Fairing Milestone

Quiet execution amid NDAA boosts and Neutron tweaks, with the 19th Electron of ’25 teed up for JAXA. SolAero’s solar edge for orbital data centers drew crossovers with AST, while community dissected barge landings and Veeco orders—bullish on a “100-year company” scaling to monthly Neutron cadences by ’27.

• RAISE-4 Electron Mission: Window opens 10 p.m. ET (0300 GMT Dec 9) from LC-1, Mahia, NZ—delaying from Dec 6 for checkouts (NET Dec 12 backup). Deploys JAXA’s 110 kg RAISE-4 (origami antennas expanding 25x, multispectral cams, ocean monitors) to 336-mile SSO. 90% weather GO; live YouTube stream T-30 min. First direct JAXA deal (two-mission pact), extending ’25 record (18 successes so far, 15 orbital).
• NDAA Conference Bill Text: 3,086-page draft (H/T @trypto_tran) restores $500M SDA Tranche 3 Transport Layer FY26 funding (100+ sats, separate from NSSL), $60M TacRS for Victus HASTE-like ops. SDA launches carved out again; MILSATCOM procurement active. Secures revenue through Tranche 6/decade; H1 ’26 awards eyed (2.5x costlier tracking sats). $24M CHIPS Act for SolAero doubles Albuquerque capacity mid-’26.
• Neutron Progress: New “fairing qualification” milestone added to timeline (H/T JRudd); Q1 ’26 debut confirmed (soft ocean splashdown, no barge yet). Hardware ships to Wallops LC-3; “Return on Investment” barge mods wrap YE ’25 for ’26 landings. Archimedes tests at Stennis; monthly by ’27. ESCAPADE Mars duo en route highlights deep-space.
• SolAero Solar Buzz: Veeco Lumina+ order doubles throughput for 33%+ efficient IMM cells (40% lighter than silicon)—prime for LEO drag cuts and gigawatt orbital data centers. 1,000+ mission heritage; ties to AI boom, with deorbit ethics noted amid Starlink congestion. Community: “IMM for longevity worth the cost?”

Things to Watch This Week

• FirstNet “major update very soon”—landmark contract? FCC dockets/AT&T filings key.
• BlueBird 6 Dec 15: Block 2 scalability test; monthly launches unlock monetization.
• RAISE-4 tonight: 19th success eyes $50 test.
• NDAA vote: SDA/TacRS locks ’26 ramp; L-Band approval signals NA expansion.
• Orbital AI/data centers: SolAero power + AST backhaul partnerships brewing.