# The Kook Report - The $ASTS DD

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ast-spacemobile-podcast-7446851/the-kook-report-the-asts-dd
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ast-spacemobile-podcast-7446851/the-kook-report-the-asts-dd.md
Podcast: [AST SpaceMobile Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ast-spacemobile-podcast-7446851)
Published: 2026-08-08T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spacemob/episodes/The-Kook-Report---The-ASTS-DD-e3n474n
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO7300000945.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ast-spacemobile-podcast-7446851/episodes/the-kook-report-the-asts-dd
Duration seconds: 6845

## Resource

Kook reads the entire $ASTS DD live as AST SpaceMobile counts down to its Batch 2 launch on Falcon 9. In this episode, Kook walks through the full AST SpaceMobile due diligence deck while waiting for the Batch 2 satellite launch, covering everything from the company's founding story to its current valuation regimes. The discussion dives into ASTS stock's de-risking journey, including FCC approval, the Ligado spectrum deal, and partnerships with AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone. Kook breaks down the direct-to-cell technology, comparing AST SpaceMobile's beam forming and satellite architecture against Starlink's approach, and explores financing history, government opportunities like Golden Dome, and the potential for AI data centers in space. 00:00 Introduction and remembering Steve Harrison 04:01 Investment thesis and the de-risking story 07:19 Winner-take-most and barriers to entry 10:42 Founder background: Abel Avellan 13:07 Key de-risking milestones and remaining risks 15:49 Consensus view vs the variant perception 19:46 Lessons learned: SPACs and death spirals 23:53 Cap table: who owns AST SpaceMobile 27:47 How ASTS stock trades into launches 34:56 Sell side estimates and revenue forecasts 38:49 Corporate governance and Abel's control 41:33 Business model and monetization paths 47:31 Modeling the market opportunity 50:36 Can the company finance itself 55:06 JVs, sovereignty and the J-LEO deal 1:00:03 Inside the technology: beams and satellites 1:10:47 AST SpaceMobile vs Starlink beam comparison 1:16:57 Ligado spectrum deal vs SpaceX's spectrum buy 1:23:19 Government opportunity and Golden Dome 1:52:44 Launch webcast begins - sign off 🎙️ Catch all episodes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5u6rTxenTvGw4STNbjswAk 👋 Connect with the host on X: https://x.com/thek…

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## Transcript

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