AST SpaceMobile just told the FCC exactly how its giant satellites will fall out of the sky

FCC ECFS · SB Docket 25-201 · Supplement · 2026-02-20

On February 20, 2026, AST & Science, LLC (AST SpaceMobile) filed a supplement in FCC docket 25-201 detailing how it will dispose of its satellites at end of life. After coordination discussions with NASA, the company said that instead of relying on random tumbling as a last-resort contingency, it will actively control each spacecraft's descent: satellites at 680–690 km will use thrusters to drop below 530 km, then hold a high-drag, gravity-gradient–stable orientation until atmospheric reentry — a phase it expects to last 1.5 to 3.5 years.

Why it matters

AST's spacecraft carry, in the company's own words, a "very large phased-array cross section" — so large that the filing says modifying drag, not firing thrusters, gives more control over the descent. How an object that big comes down shapes the collision risk it poses while transiting low-Earth orbit, which is why AST says it will keep collision-avoidance capability active through the high-drag phase, until shortly before reentry. The proceeding is contested: 145 filings, including 94 comments and 8 oppositions, from parties including SpaceX, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

"The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever."

— Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Tsiolkovsky's cradle only works as a launch pad if we don't bury its doorway in wreckage. This filing is the paperwork-grade version of that idea — a company planning, years ahead and down to the kilometer, exactly how its largest machines will come home.

Sources: FCC ECFS filing → · Orbit Sentinel (docket 25-201)

Filed underDocket 25-201Orbital DebrisDeorbitFCCDirect-to-cellAST SpaceMobile

Questions & answers

How will AST SpaceMobile deorbit its satellites?
After coordination discussions with NASA, AST will use thrusters to lower satellites from 680–690 km to below 530 km, then hold a high-drag, gravity-gradient–stable orientation until atmospheric reentry — a phase it expects to last 1.5 to 3.5 years.
Why does the size of AST's satellites matter for deorbiting?
Because of the very large phased-array cross-section, the filing says modifying the drag profile gives more control over the descent than firing thrusters.
What changed from AST's earlier deorbit plan?
Instead of relying on random tumbling as a last-resort contingency, AST will actively control each spacecraft's descent and maintain collision-avoidance through the high-drag phase until shortly before reentry.