SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.04
AST SpaceMobile logo AST SpaceMobile Operates a space-based cellular broadband network delivering 4G and 5G connectivity directly to standard smartphones via LEO satellites vs Orbital Sidekick Operates a constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites and delivers spectral intelligence for energy, mining, agriculture, and defense monitoring Orbital Sidekick logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD1 shared sector
AST SpaceMobile Orbital Sidekick
Founded 2017 2016
Headquarters Midland, Texas San Francisco, California
Type public private
Status operating operating
Employees 613 24
Total funding $55.4M
Latest round Venture
Sectors Satellite Communications, Ground Segment & Networks, Satellite Manufacturing Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Geospatial Intelligence & Analytics, Satellite Manufacturing
Products listed 5 4
Federal contracts
Launches
Leaders listed Abel Avellan, Scott Wisniewski, Andrew Johnson Dan Katz, Tushar Prabhakar, Spencer Hill
News mentions 1 0
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do AST SpaceMobile and Orbital Sidekick compare?

Both companies work in Satellite Manufacturing. AST SpaceMobile was founded in 2017 and Orbital Sidekick in 2016.

Which is larger, AST SpaceMobile or Orbital Sidekick?

AST SpaceMobile reports the larger workforce, with 613 employees versus 24.

Numbers refresh on every render against the live Space Index database. Federal contract data from USAspending.gov; launches from LaunchLibrary2.