A failed satellite launch sent shares of AST SpaceMobile down sharply on Monday.

The stock fell 8% after a rocket designed by Jeff Bezos’ space technology company Blue Origin placed the satellite in a lower-than-planned orbit on Sunday. 

AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite would have been the company’s eighth launched into low-earth orbit, the company said in a Sunday press release. It was launched on Blue Origin’s third New Glenn rocket.

Blue Origin acknowledged in a post on X that the satellite was placed into the wrong orbit, but only added it was assessing the situation and would provide further updates. The company hasn’t made a statement since the satellite was officially deemed lost. 

The cost of the satellite loss is expected to be covered by an insurance policy, AST said in the release. It also still expects to launch a satellite on average once every one to two months in 2026, and said BlueBird satellites 8, 9 and 10 should be ready to ship in 30 days. 

William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma thinks that AST’s goal of 45 satellites in orbit by year-end will likely be hard to hit now. However, he didn’t see Sunday’s events as a total loss for the company.

“AST gained experience integrating its satellite with New Glenn and working with the Blue Origin team,” DiPalma wrote in a Monday note. “This experience will be integral for future missions. The silver lining is that there was only one satellite on board, whereas future New Glenn launches may have as many as eight of AST’s BlueBirds.”

While Clear Street analyst Greg Pendy was still bullish on the stock, reiterating a buy rating after the news, he cut his price target to $115 from $137. That’s still a 34% gain from Friday’s close, but much less than his previously forecasted 60% jump in shares. 

UBS analyst Christopher Schoell said in a note the financial impact on AST will be limited, but added that AST and its share price performance are now linked with Bezos’ Blue Origin. 

“We believe the success of Blue Origin’s New Glenn vehicle … is key to meeting year-end deployment targets/ management’s 2027 revenue goal, and expect the uncertainty to weigh on investor sentiment initially pending greater clarity,” Schoell wrote.

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Amazon has asked the Federal Communications Commission for more time to meet a deadline that requires the company to deploy roughly 1,600 internet satellites by July 2026.

The company needs to bring more of its satellites online so it can begin offering an internet-from-space service that was recently rebranded as Amazon Leo. The company has earmarked at least $10 billion to build the network.

Delays beyond Amazon’s control, including a “shortage in the near-term availability” of rockets, necessitate an extension, the company said in a filing made public on Friday. Amazon also pointed to manufacturing disruptions, the failure and grounding of new launch vehicles and limitations on spaceport capacity.

Leo is “producing satellites considerably faster than others can launch them,” the company wrote.

The company is now seeking a 24-month extension, to July 2028, or for the FCC to waive its deadline requiring Amazon to get roughly half of its 3,236 low Earth satellites up.

In 2019, Amazon unveiled its plans to build a constellation of low Earth satellites. They are designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet to consumers, corporations and governments, offering connections through square-shaped terminals. 

Amazon has booked more than 100 launches to deploy dozens of satellites at a time. The company said in the filing that it has bought 10 more launches with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, as well as a dozen additional rides with Blue Origin, the space exploration startup of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The company said that many of its partners have notched significant launch milestones with their respective rockets in the past year.

“Not withstanding this progress, the development timelines for these next-generation vehicles have extended beyond initial projections, contributing to Amazon Leo’s deployment delays,” the company wrote.

Amazon has sent up more than 150 satellites since April. The company said it expects to deploy about 700 satellites by July 30, “moving from the third- to the second-largest satellite constellation in orbit.” Its next launch is slated for Feb. 12, when Amazon will fling another 32 satellite into space atop a rocket from Arianespace, a French company.

Leo’s primary rival is SpaceX’s Starlink, which has more than 9,000 satellites in orbit and roughly 9 million customers. Another challenger, OneWeb, is operated by France’s Eutelsat and has a constellation of more than 600 satellites.

In November, Amazon opened up an “enterprise preview” of Leo to select users ahead of a broader commercial launch.

Amazon said if the FCC were to deny it an extension, it would “undermine” the agency’s goals of expanding spectrum access and promoting “expeditious deployment.” The company also noted that the agency has previously granted similar extensions.

“Amazon Leo is engaged in full-scale deployment and stands on the doorstep of offering U.S. customers a competitive and innovative new service,” the company said. “An extension would enable this rapid and ongoing deployment to continue, while strict enforcement would interrupt or halt this effort.”

WATCH: Amazon laying off about 16,000 corporate workers in latest anti-bureaucracy push

Jeff Bezos’ space venture Blue Origin announced Wednesday it plans to deploy 5,408 satellites into space for a communications network that will take on SpaceX and Amazon.

The network, called TeraWave, is targeted for enterprise, data center and government users.

The company said it will provide data speeds of “up to 6 terabits per second” from satellites positioned in low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit, regions of space that are between 100 miles and 21,000 miles from the Earth’s surface.

Blue Origin said it expects to begin deploying its constellation in the fourth quarter of 2027.

Bezos is entering an increasingly crowded satellite internet market that’s currently dominated by Starlink, a service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Starlink has more than 9,000 satellites in orbit and roughly 9 million customers.

Amazon, which Bezos founded in 1994, has also ramped up its own offering in the past year. The service recently rebranded from Project Kuiper to Leo.

The company has sent up 180 satellites since last April through a series of rocket launches handled by partners such as United Launch Alliance and SpaceX.

Several future deployments are expected to be handled by Blue Origin.

Amazon aims to build a constellation of 3,236 low Earth satellites that will serve businesses, governments and consumers. Last November, the company opened up an “enterprise preview” to select users ahead of a broader commercial launch.

Bezos predicted in 2024 that Blue Origin would one day be a bigger company than Amazon. He founded Blue Origin in 2000, and Dave Limp, Amazon’s former devices boss, serves as its CEO.

“I think it’s going to be the best business that I’ve ever been involved in, but it’s going to take a while,” Bezos said in a 2024 interview at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit.

Blue Origin is primarily a rocket launch company, flying tourists and research to the edge of space on short trips. Last January, the startup notched a major milestone when it successfully launched its towering New Glenn rocket for the first time, though it was unable to return the rocket’s booster back to a barge for reuse.

Wall Street grew increasingly obsessed with the artificial intelligence boom this year, pouring money into chips, data centers and applications.

But investors looking beyond Silicon Valley found outsized returns in another location: space.

Some of the year’s biggest market winners were defense companies that benefited from renewed interest in space exploration and military reindustrialization. President Donald Trump’s military expansion plan includes a $175 billion “Golden Dome” project and efforts to bolster American shipbuilding.

In looking to upgrade military tech and return astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, the government is leaning on more companies outside of traditional defense names such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Recently appointed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC last week that Trump’s recommitment to exploring the moon is key to unlocking the “orbital economy.”

The space and defense boon has opened a range of opportunities for high-profile private companies, including Palmer Luckey’s Anduril and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is aiming to go public next year. SpaceX is the parent of satellite internet provider Starlink.

Among companies currently on the public market, investors have snapped up satellite names, from legacy providers such as EchoStar to newer players like Planet Labs. They’re among a handful of satellite stocks that have more than tripled in value this year.

Planet Labs

Planet Labs, based in San Francisco, has seen its stock surge almost 400% this year due to booming demand for satellite imagery and space analytics. The company, which went public in 2021 through a special purpose acquisition company, is now valued at $6.2 billion.

In its fiscal third-quarter earnings report this month, Planet Labs topped analyst estimates and lifted its guidance.

During the period, Planet Labs more than tripled its backlog from a year ago. The company said that since the end of the quarter, it launched two of its Pelican satellites and 36 Earth-imaging SuperDove satellites.

In 2025, Planet Labs signed new government and defense deals, including contracts with NATO and the European Space Agency. The company also renewed a partnership to provide Earth data to the U.S. Navy and won a $13.5 million task order for commercial satellite data with NASA.

Planet Labs is working closely with Google on its Suncatcher project focused on AI and machine learning in space. The company is aiming to launch two prototype satellites equipped with Google’s custom AI chips called tensor processing units, or TPUs, by early 2027.

EchoStar

EchoStar, founded in 1980 by Charlie Ergen, creates networking, connectivity and satellite solutions under its Dish TV, Sling TV and Boost Mobile brands.

Under pressure from regulators to build out a 5G network, the company was forced to sell wireless spectrum rights. In August, EchoStar struck a $23 billion deal to sell spectrum licenses to AT&T, and the following month sold $17 billion in spectrum rights to SpaceX to boost Starlink connectivity.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s operating chief, said the deal would help the company “end mobile dead zones” globally and improve coverage for its customers.

Cell tower companies Crown Castle and American Tower sued EchoStar following the spectrum deals, alleging the company is trying to exit its long-term agreements.

On a call with analysts in November, EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan said the transactions would give the company the “capital runway” to expand its portfolio and business.

“The road map is not 100% laid out at the moment,” he said. “We’ll try to take advantage of every opportunity in the best way.”

EchoStar shares have soared 377% this year, including a 49% rally since the start of December, sending the company’s market capitalization past $31 billion. Earlier this month, the company got an upgrade from Morgan Stanley to buy from hold, with the firm citing value from the recent spectrum deals.

The biggest beneficiary of the stock pop has been the 72-year-old Ergen, who owns more than 143 million shares, mostly Class B, in the company. His net worth has jumped by $12.2 billion this year to $16.6 billion, according to Bloomberg.

ViaSat

ViaSat shares have jumped 315% in 2025, as the company has expanded and scooped up more contracts.

One of ViaSat’s most significant achievements was the successful launch in November of its second of three ViaSAT-3 satellites, which will start servicing the Americas next year.

The company has also landed major government deals, including a satellite contract with the U.S. Space Force, with a first launch planned for 2028.

On the commercial side, ViaSat expanded partnerships with commercial airlines, including Etihad Airways, Aeromexico and Riyadh Air. The company competes directly with SpaceX’s Starlink service, which is used by United Airlines, Air France and Qatar Airways.

ViaSat drew attention this year from activist investor Carronade Capital and was upgraded to buy last month by JPMorgan Chase, which highlighted the potential breakup of its commercial and government businesses.

Ondas

Ondas, which makes autonomous drone technology, skyrocketed 251% this year.

The Boston-based company says on its website that it owns 21 patents and is addressing a potential $130 billion market.

Revenue in the third quarter jumped more more than sixfold to $10.1 million, and the company upped revenue guidance for the year to $36 million from $25 million. CEO Eric Brock cited “a powerful demand cycle for our unmanned platforms” as a growth catalyst.

Ondas inked major deals this year for its Optimus drone system, including a $14.3 million purchase order from a major defense contractor and a more than $3 million deal with the United Arab Emirates. The system allows governments, public safety entities and emergency services to autonomously collect data in tough environments.

Backlog in the latest quarter rose to $22.2 million driven by demand for its Optimus and Iron Drone products.

Stifel initiated coverage with a buy rating this month, calling Ondas a potential leader in the unmanned systems sector.

Astronics

Aerospace and defense systems maker Astronics climbed 241% this year.

The company provides charging and lighting solutions used by major commercial aircraft makers and airlines such as Boeing and Delta. Its products also support the U.S. Army and NASA.

At the end of the third quarter, Astronics said its backlog totaled $646.7 million, with the aerospace segment accounting for $572.5 million. That represented a slight decline from a record backlog in the first quarter.

In October, Astronics announced plans to buy Germany-based Bühler Motor Aviation. The deal is projected to add $22 million to revenue next year. A month prior, Astronics announced plans to sell $210 million in convertible notes.

WATCH: SpaceX could be the first $500 billion IPO

Correction: Eric Brock is CEO of Ondas. An earlier version misspelled his name.

Amazon said Monday it will begin allowing businesses to test its recently rebranded internet-from-space service that seeks to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

Select businesses will be able to test Amazon Leo production hardware and software as part of an “enterprise preview” of the service “ahead of a wider rollout,” the company said in a blog post. The test program will allow Amazon to collect feedback and “tailor solutions for specific industries” ahead of a broader launch, the company said.

Earlier this month, Amazon renamed its satellite internet offering from Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo and rolled out a new website to market the service. The name is a nod to low-Earth orbit, a region of space that’s within 1,200 miles of Earth’s surface and where Amazon’s satellite constellation will be concentrated.

Six years ago, Amazon unveiled its plans to build a constellation of 3,236 low-Earth satellites, designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet to consumers, corporations and governments, offering connections through square-shaped terminals. 

The company has sent up more than 150 satellites since April through a series of rocket launches handled by partners, such as United Launch Alliance and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

It’s aiming to compete with Starlink, owned by SpaceX, which currently dominates the market and has nearly 9,000 satellites in orbit.

Amazon has inked deals with JetBlue, L3Harris and Australia’s NBN internet network, among others. Amazon said it’s shipping units of its “Pro” terminals, as well as its “Ultra” antennas, to members of its enterprise preview program.

The company on Monday showed off the final production design of its Ultra model, which will offer download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second and upload speeds up to 400 megabits per second powered by an in-house custom silicon chip, “making it the fastest commercial phased array antenna in production.”

Amazon said it expects to expand the program to more customers as it adds coverage and capacity to the Leo network.  

The company has yet to disclose pricing and availability for consumers.

WATCH: Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites into space

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink said it had a “network outage” on Thursday. The company said it was working on a solution.

There were more than 60,000 reports of an outage on Downdetector, a site that logs issues.

Starlink is owned and operated by SpaceX, which is also run by Musk.

At 4:30 p.m. ET, Musk apologized for the outage on X and said, “Service will be restored shortly.”

At 6:23 p.m. ET, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink engineering, Michael Nicolls, said in an X post that service “has now mostly recovered from the network outage, which lasted approximately 2.5 hours.”

About two hours after that post, Starlink wrote on X that service was fully restored.

Musk posted earlier Thursday that the company’s direct-to-cell-phone service was “growing fast” following the announcement that T-Mobile‘s Starlink-powered satellite service was available to the public.

T-Mobile said the T-Satellite service was built to keep phones connected “in places no carrier towers can reach.”

Starlink didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Starlink internet speeds and reliability decrease with popularity, a recent study found.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the T-Satellite service was affected by or involved in the outage.

Musk’s social media site X, which he purchased as Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, has been hit with a number of outages in the past months.

The site had disruptions in early July. During another outage in May, Musk said that “major operational improvements need to be made.”

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny and Jordan Novet contributed to this report

United Launch Alliance on Monday was forced to delay the second flight carrying a batch of Amazon‘s Project Kuiper internet satellites because of a problem with the rocket booster.

With roughly 30 minutes left in the countdown, ULA announced it was scrubbing the launch due to an issue with “an elevated purge temperature” within its Atlas V rocket’s booster engine. The company said it will provide a new launch date at a later point.

“Possible issue with a GN2 purge line that cannot be resolved inside the count,” ULA CEO Tory Bruno said in a post on Bluesky. “We will need to stand down for today. We’ll sort it and be back.”

The launch from Florida’s Space Coast had been set for last Friday, but was rescheduled to Monday at 1:25 p.m. ET due to inclement weather.

Amazon in April successfully sent up 27 Kuiper internet satellites into low Earth orbit, a region of space that’s within 1,200 miles of the Earth’s surface. The second voyage will send “another 27 satellites into orbit, bringing our total constellation size to 54 satellites,” Amazon said in a blog post.

Kuiper is the latest entrant in the burgeoning satellite internet industry, which aims to beam high-speed internet to the ground from orbit. The industry is currently dominated by Elon Musk’s Space X, which operates Starlink. Other competitors include SoftBank-backed OneWeb and Viasat.

Amazon is targeting a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites. The company has to meet a Federal Communications Commission deadline to launch half of its total constellation, or 1,618 satellites, by July 2026.

Amazon delayed the launch of its Kuiper internet satellites due to poor weather conditions on Wednesday night.

A United Launch Alliance rocket carrying 27 Kuiper satellites was set to lift off from a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, but ULA said it couldn’t continue countdown operations as “stubborn cumulus clouds” and heavy winds pushed the launch outside its planned window, according to a livestream.

“Weather is observed and forecast NO GO for liftoff within the remaining launch window at Cape Canaveral this evening,” ULA said. The company said it will provide a new launch date at a later point.

Six years ago Amazon unveiled its plans to build a constellation of internet satellites in low Earth orbit, a region of space that’s within 1,200 miles of Earth’s surface. The company aims to sell high-speed, low-latency internet to consumers, corporations and governments, offering connections through square-shaped terminals. Commercial service is expected to come online later this year.

Amazon is racing to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink, the dominant player in the market, with 8,000 satellites already up in the air. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk now has a central role in the White House as one of President Donald Trump’s top advisors, overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Since Musk took on the role, Starlink’s footprint has increased within the federal government.

The clock is ticking for Amazon to meet a deadline set by the Federal Communications Commission, which requires the company to have half of its total constellation, or 1,618 satellites, up in the air by July 2026.

Once it completes its first launch, Amazon expects to ramp up its production, processing and deployment rates. It’s begun prepping satellites for its next mission, which will also hitch a ride on one of ULA’s Atlas V rockets.

WATCH: Amazon launches Project Kuiper