Experimental communications satellite BlueWalker 3 has deployed the largest antenna in Earth orbit, with a total area of ​​64 square meters. AST&Science tweeted that the creation of an orbital constellation of 3 BlueWalker-like communication satellites is expected to begin next year.

BlueWalker 3 was created by the American company AST&Science and serves as a prototype of the larger BlueBird satellites of the future SpaceMobile orbital group. It is designed to provide broadband direct communication with mobile phones according to the frequency standards of the 3GPP consortium, which will consist of 168 satellites and will allow communication in hard-to-reach areas of the world. Deployment of the group into Earth orbit should begin by the end of next year.

A distinctive feature of the BlueWalker 3, with a total weight of 1.5 tons, was a deployable phased antenna array with a diameter of 10 meters and an area of ​​64 square meters, consisting of many individual modules. The satellite was launched into a 500-kilometer orbit around Earth on September 10, 2022 using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle, and successfully deployed its antenna and sent images on November 15, making it the largest commercial communications satellite.

However, the event has caused alarm among professional astronomers, who have previously been concerned about the antenna’s large size, which makes it appear like a bright spot to ground-based telescopes and trails in photographs. After the discovery, BlueWalker 3 was observed by many astronomers as a 1st magnitude star that was 50 times brighter than before the antenna’s discovery. So far this hasn’t prevented astronomical observations, but the problem becomes more serious as the number of BlueBird satellites in orbit increases.