I posted twice this week that something big is brewing on the defense side of $ASTS based on job postings and LinkedIn activity. That was speculative.
This isn't.
$ASTS just filed with the FCC for authorization to test RADIOLOCATION capabilities - that's radar on their existing in-orbit satellites. Starting June 12. Customer named directly in the filing: Space Development Agency, U.S. Space Force.
What was public - a $30M HALO contract for "tactical satellite communications." What this filing reveals - the satellites can do radar. That connection was never disclosed.
902-928 MHz. Short pulse transmissions. Completely separate band from the commercial 700/800 MHz broadband service. The satellites are multi-band. Cellular broadband for AT&T on one frequency. Radar for the Space Force on another. Same satellite.
Classified defense work stays hidden. But you can't transmit from a satellite over US soil without telling the FCC. The regulatory requirement just exposed what the job postings were hinting at - the C2/ISR/PNT qualifications, the radar testing roles, the TS/SCI clearances, the Tysons Corner move. It all connects now.
One constellation. Carrier revenue. Defense revenue. Two completely different TAMs on the same hardware.
Testing starts June 12. Same day SpaceX begins trading.
Dual-use & defense pipeline isn't a speculative thesis anymore. It's an FCC filing.
$ASTS 🛰️
@CatSE___ApeX___ I noticed a striking similarity between this post and Stuey’s post. Unreal that Stuey was the dope that sold and bragged about the 1 $ASTS $75 strike call. Amazing.