---
title: "AST SpaceMobile Plans Blacklift Rocket With Firefly Engines"
id: 219332
type: "post"
slug: "ast-spacemobile-plans-blacklift-rocket-with-firefly-engines"
author: "NSE"
published: "2026-11-08T01:49:08+00:00"
modified: "2026-11-08T01:49:08+00:00"
canonical: "https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2026/11/07/ast-spacemobile-plans-blacklift-rocket-with-firefly-engines/"
markdown_url: "https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2026/11/07/ast-spacemobile-plans-blacklift-rocket-with-firefly-engines.md"
description: "AST SpaceMobile plans to develop a launch vehicle called Blacklift using engines and engineering support from Firefly Aerospace. The companies’ announced…"
language: "en-US"
category:
  - "Commercial Space"
  - "Launch Market"
  - "Space Economy"
post_tag:
  - "AST Spacemobile"
  - "Firefly Aerospace"
  - "Launch Vehicles"
  - "Rocket Development"
  - "Rocket Engines"
---

# AST SpaceMobile Plans Blacklift Rocket With Firefly Engines

![](https://i0.wp.com/newspaceeconomy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/49c9af9a-4a07-4746-9ea1-cd3c3d36ec1b.png?resize=696%2C464&ssl=1)

AST SpaceMobile plans to develop a launch vehicle called Blacklift using engines and engineering support from Firefly Aerospace. The companies’ [announced agreement](https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-rocket-engine-deal-valued-at-more-than-1-3-billion-with-ast-spacemobile/) has a stated value exceeding $1.3 billion and includes engines, manufacturing rights, and development assistance. AST targets initial Blacklift flights for late 2028.

The proposed rocket would carry up to five BlueBird satellites per launch. BlueBird spacecraft form AST’s planned satellite network for connecting ordinary mobile phones through participating mobile network operators. Carrying several spacecraft on one flight would support deployment of that network.

## **Engines and Manufacturing Rights**

Firefly will supply 36 engines for the first three Blacklift vehicles: 27 Miranda engines and nine Vira engines. The agreement also includes three years of engineering support and a perpetual license allowing AST to manufacture the engines.

The arrangement combines the purchase of initial hardware with access to engine manufacturing technology. Firefly retains ownership of its intellectual property. AST would receive the licensed rights needed to produce engines for its launch program.

The companies valued the engine license at $800 million. The announced consideration includes $400 million in cash and a share component whose calculation depends on the agreement’s pricing provisions. Engine deliveries and engineering support account for additional portions of the transaction.

## **Launch Capacity for BlueBird Deployment**

AST’s [company announcement](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261106165875/en/) places Blacklift alongside launch services purchased from external providers. The company described plans for launching more than 100 satellites during 2027 and 2028 through its broader deployment program.

Blacklift’s planned capacity of up to five BlueBird spacecraft links the rocket’s design to the dimensions and mass of AST’s communications satellites. A launch vehicle developed around that payload would become a dedicated component of the company’s deployment infrastructure.

Firefly reported that its relevant engine development work had accumulated 175 hot-fire tests and more than 4,200 seconds of firing time. These ground tests exercise engines under operating conditions and provide measurements used in engine development.

The announced program moves next into vehicle development, engine supply, and engineering work under the agreement, with AST identifying late 2028 as its target for initial flights.