AST SpaceMobile Provides Third Quarter 2021 Business Update - AST SpaceMobile

MIDLAND, Texas, (BUSINESS WIRE) – Nov 15th, 2021 – AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, today provided its business update for the third quarter of 2021.

“Since our last quarterly business update, we have made significant progress and we are now entering the last stage of build, integration and testing of our next satellite, BlueWalker 3,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile.

Abel added, “Today, we are very pleased to announce that we have entered into an agreement to purchase an additional 100,000 square foot facility in Midland, Texas, complementing our existing 85,000 square foot headquarters facility. This is an important step for the industrialization of our technology, as this will provide us the potential capacity to reach our production goal of six satellites per month.”

Business Highlights

Our next satellite, BlueWalker 3, a 693-square-foot phased array for planned direct-to-cell phone connectivity at 4G/5G speeds, is going through final integration and testing, with all components for the build now on hand
Midland, Texas headquarters buildout is completed with approximately 35,000 square feet of clean room for assembly, as well as test equipment to support production requirements
Entered into an agreement to purchase an additional 100,000 square foot facility in Midland, Texas, which, together with our headquarters facility, will provide a combined 185,000 square feet of capacity
Signed a lease for approximately 16,000 square feet of new space for our Maryland Technology Center, intended to be the future home of our Satellite Operations Center and Network Operations Center
Signed Memoranda of Understanding (“MOUs”) with MTN Group (Africa, Middle East), YTL Communications (Malaysia) and Somcable (Somaliland)
Growth of 40 employees across all offices in the third quarter of 2021, with a team of 509 as of September 30, 2021, including 301 full-time employees, 47 full-time contractors and 161 employees of 3rd party engineering service providers working on AST SpaceMobile

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Ended the third quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $360.4 million and no financial debt as of September 30, 2021
Total operating expenses of $23.1 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $25.1 million in the second quarter of 2021, primarily due to a decrease in research and development costs of $4.7 million, partially offset by $2.2 million increase in engineering services, $0.4 million in depreciation and amortization, and $0.1 million in general and administration expenses
As of September 30, 2021, invested $56.7 million in the construction of BlueWalker 3 satellite, which includes non-recurring engineering development cost, satellite componentry, and launch cost
As of September 30, 2021, invested $19.9 million in property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation, primarily in the buildout of the headquarters facility in Midland, Texas

Conference Call Information
This communication contains “forward-looking statements” that are not historical facts, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results of AST SpaceMobile to differ materially from those expected and projected. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology.

These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside AST SpaceMobile’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) expectations regarding AST SpaceMobile’s strategies and future financial performance, including AST’s future business plans or objectives, expected functionality of the SpaceMobile Service, anticipated timing and level of deployment of satellites, anticipated demand and acceptance of mobile satellite services, prospective performance and commercial opportunities and competitors, the timing of obtaining regulatory approvals, ability to finance its research and development activities, commercial partnership acquisition and retention, products and services, pricing, marketing plans, operating expenses, market trends, revenues, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and AST’s ability to invest in growth initiatives; (ii) the negotiation of definitive agreements with mobile network operators relating to the SpaceMobile service that would supersede memoranda of understanding; (iii) the ability of AST SpaceMobile to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees and AST SpaceMobile’s responses to actions of its competitors and its ability to effectively compete; (iv) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (v) the possibility that AST SpaceMobile may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (vi) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against AST SpaceMobile; and (vii) other risks and uncertainties indicated in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including those in the Risk Factors section of AST SpaceMobile’s Form S-1 Registration Statement filed with the SEC on June 25, 2021 (File No. 333-257425) as well as the Risk Factors contained in Part II, Item 1A of AST SpaceMobile’s Form 10-Q dated August 16, 2021.

AST SpaceMobile cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. AST SpaceMobile cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors incorporated by reference into AST SpaceMobile’s Form S-1 Registration Statement filed with the SEC on June 25, 2021 (File No. 333-257425) as well as the Risk Factors contained in Part II, Item 1A of AST SpaceMobile’s Form 10-Q dated August 16, 2021. AST SpaceMobile’s securities filings can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, AST SpaceMobile disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.