ASTS
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New deal, same moonshot
AST SpaceMobile didn’t wake up with a fresh earnings beat or a flashy acquisition. Instead, the stock caught a ride higher after the U.S. and Japan put its name in an official statement alongside Rakuten Group, saying both sides welcomed the companies’ cooperation on low-Earth-orbit satellite infrastructure.
That’s the kind of government nod that doesn’t guarantee revenue, but it does help turn the “are they actually doing this?” question into a more interesting “okay, maybe they are.” For a company built on the promise of connecting standard smartphones directly to satellites, every public sign of traction matters.
TELUS adds a real-world test drive
The other catalyst was more concrete: TELUS said it completed its first integration test with AST SpaceMobile’s space-based network. The test covered broadband data, voice calls, and text messages sent directly between smartphones and satellites — basically the demo reel investors have been waiting to see become less demo, more product.
That matters because satellite connectivity has a nasty habit of living in the land of cool slides and long timelines. A successful integration test doesn’t mean the money printer is on, but it does suggest the plumbing is getting installed.
But don’t ignore the chart
The stock was still trading well below its longer-term moving averages, which is a polite way of saying the trend has been bruised even if today’s headline gave it a little caffeine shot. In other words: the market is cheering the story, but it’s not exactly declaring victory.
Big picture: AST SpaceMobile keeps collecting the kind of partnerships and government mentions that can support its bull case. The hard part is turning those moments into durable commercial momentum — because in space, as in life, vibes only get you so far.