Retail Investors Are Buying This Space Stock, and It’s Not SpaceX (SPCX)

Published on July 2, 2026 at 5:33 pm by Fahad Saleem in News

We just covered Avoid SpaceX and Buy These 11 Stocks Instead. AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) ranks #11 (see Avoid SpaceX and Buy These 5 Stocks Instead).

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 39

Redditors say that for those interested in space, consider AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) instead of chasing SpaceX hype. AST SpaceMobile is developing the world’s first space cellular broadband network in Low Earth Orbit. It sells this service directly to standard smartphones without hardware upgrades. It’s a leading satellite operator building actual infrastructure, not just pursuing venture dreams. The company has made BlueBird satellites, which are the largest commercial satellites in orbit. AST has received Federal Communications Commission approval to deploy and operate a 248-satellite constellation and perform direct-to-cell operations.

It’s enabling carriers to expand coverage into areas where building cell tower infrastructure is economically unfeasible. These areas include remote highways, national parks, mining sites, offshore energy assets, disaster zones, and rural farms. AST has agreements with 60 mobile network operators that collectively cover more than 3 billion subscribers globally. Major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone are already on board.

Crossroads Capital stated the following regarding AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:

“AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS): Q1 picked up exactly where Q4 left off. The company’s transition from R&D-stage startup to operational scaleup, which we described last quarter, went from “underway” to “unmistakable” over the course of the last three months. There was one setback, as BB7 was placed in the wrong orbit by the New Glenn 3 rocket, sparking a downturn that had everything to do with Blue Origin’s vehicle misplacement, not any failure of AST’s technology. Nonetheless, the setback served as a …. (Click Here to Read the Letter in Detail).