Communications

AST SpaceMobile confirmed on March 26, 2026 that BlueBird 7 had been encapsulated for its upcoming launch, with the company maintaining its target of intermittent nationwide direct-to-device (D2D) service in the United States by end of Q1 2026. Shares surged 10.4% ($96.00) on March 26 following a trifecta of catalysts: BlueBird 7 encapsulation, a $30M US government tactical demonstration contract, and sector-wide excitement around SpaceX's IPO filing. BlueBirds 8–25 are in various stages of assembly at Midland, Texas. The company remains on track to deploy 45–60 satellites by year-end 2026. AT&T and Verizon beta service for select commercial and FirstNet users targeted for H1 2026.

CesiumAstro secured $470M in growth capital on February 2, 2026: $270M equity led by Trousdale Ventures with Woven Capital, Airbus Ventures, the Development Bank of Japan, MESH, EDBI, and NewSpace Capital; plus a first-of-its-kind $200M EXIM/JPMorgan financing package under the "Make More in America" initiative. The capital funds a new 270,000 sq ft Texas headquarters, expanded manufacturing of software-defined active phased array payloads, and eight contracted SpaceX rideshare launches for on-orbit validation. Total equity raised stands at ~$440M; the EXIM tranche is non-dilutive.

IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) announced the acquisition of Skyloom Global in November 2025, closed January 28, 2026. Skyloom had delivered ~90 SDA-qualified optical communications terminals by 2025 — making it the leading provider of multi-Gbps laser comms for government satellite constellations. IonQ acquires Skyloom to complete its quantum networking stack alongside purchases of ID Quantique, Capella Space, Lightsynq, and Vector Atomic. Skyloom CEO Marc Eisenberg stays on as subsidiary leader.