ASTSW AST SpaceMobile Inc

Registration No. 333-   

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 13, 2024

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

AST SPACEMOBILE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Midland International Air & Space Port, 2901 Enterprise Lane, Midland, Texas 79706

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (ZIP Code)

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. 2024 Incentive Award Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Andrew M. Johnson

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal Officer

Midland International Air & Space Port

2901 Enterprise Lane

Midland, Texas 79706

(Name and address of agent for service)

(432) 276-3966

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:

Lawton B. Way, Esq.

W. Lake Taylor, Jr., Esq.

McGuireWoods LLP

Gateway Plaza

800 East Canal Street

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 775-1000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.

Not required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

Not required to be filed with the Commission.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed or to be filed (other than portions of those documents furnished or otherwise not deemed filed) by AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (the “Company”) with the Commission (File No. 001-39040) are incorporated herein by reference, as of their respective dates:

All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities then remaining unsold shall be deregistered, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and to be a part thereof from the date of the filing of such documents.

For purposes of this Registration Statement and the related prospectus, any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in a subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated herein by reference modifies or replaces such statement. Any statement so modified shall not be deemed in its unmodified form to constitute part of this Registration Statement or the related prospectus.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Subsection (a) of Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation), by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

Subsection (b) of Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, by reason of the fact that the person acted in any of the capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

Section 145 further provides that to the extent a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith; that indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled; and the indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators. Section 145 also empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under Section 145.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides that a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. Additionally, the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation limits the liability of the Company’s directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, and the Company’s bylaws provide that the Company will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. The Company has entered into and expects to continue to

enter into agreements to indemnify its directors, executive officers and other employees as determined by the Company’s board of directors. Under the terms of such indemnification agreements, the Company is required to indemnify each of its directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware, if the basis of the indemnitee’s involvement was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company or was serving at the Company’s request in an official capacity for another entity. The Company must indemnify its officers and directors against all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs of any type or nature whatsoever, including any and all expenses and obligations paid or incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in, participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness or participate in any completed, actual, pending or threatened action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under the indemnification agreement. The indemnification agreements also require the Company, if so requested, to advance all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs that such director or officer incurred, provided that such person will return any such advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification by the Company. Any claims for indemnification by the Company’s directors and officers may reduce the Company’s available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against the Company and may reduce the amount of money available to the Company.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The following documents are filed as exhibits to this Registration Statement:

Item 9. Undertakings.

A. The Company hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”);

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Filing Fees Tables” or “Calculation of Registration Fee” table, as applicable, in the effective registration statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (A)(1)(i) and (A)(1)(ii) shall not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

B. The undersigned Company hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Company’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Midland, State of Texas, on September 13, 2024.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN AND WOMEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby severally constitutes and appoints each of Abel Avellan, Andrew M. Johnson or Maya Bernal, acting alone or together with another attorney-in-fact, as such person’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, each acting alone, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for and in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and all documents relating thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto such attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing necessary or advisable to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, or such person’s substitute or substitutes, lawfully may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Exhibit 5.1

		McGuireWoods LLP Gateway Plaza 800 East Canal Street Richmond, VA 23219-3916 Phone: 804.775.1000 Fax: 804.775.1061 www.mcguirewoods.com

September 13, 2024

AST SpaceMobile, Inc.

Midland International Air & Space Port

2901 Enterprise Lane

Midland, Texas 79706

AST SpaceMobile, Inc.

Registration Statement on Form S-8

We have acted as counsel to AST SpaceMobile, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing by the Company of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on or about the date hereof pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Registration Statement relates to the registration of 2,000,000 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Shares”), issuable under the AST SpaceMobile, Inc. 2024 Incentive Award Plan (the “Plan”).

This opinion letter is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 8(a) of Form S-8 and Item 601(b)(5)(i) of Regulation S-K.

In connection with this opinion letter, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents and records of the Company, certificates of public officials and officers of the Company and such other documents, certificates and records as we have deemed necessary to render the opinions set forth herein, including, among other things, (i) the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended through the date hereof, (ii) the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended through the date hereof, (iii) the Plan, (iv) the Registration Statement, (v) resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors approving the Plan and authorizing the registration and issuance of the Shares and (vi) a certificate issued by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on the date hereof to the effect that the Company is existing under the laws of the State of Delaware and in good standing.

For purposes of the opinions expressed below, we have assumed (i) the legal capacity of all natural persons, (ii) the genuineness of all signatures, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, (iv) the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, electronic or photostatic copies and (v) the due authorization, execution and delivery of all documents by all parties and the validity, binding effect and enforceability thereof on such parties (other than the authorization, execution and delivery of certain documents by the Company).

Atlanta | Austin | Baltimore | Charlotte | Charlottesville | Chicago | Dallas | Houston | Jacksonville | London | Los Angeles - Century City

Los Angeles - Downtown | New York | Norfolk | Pittsburgh | Raleigh | Richmond | San Francisco | Tysons | Washington, D.C.

AST SpaceMobile, Inc.

September 13, 2024

Page 2

As to factual matters, we have relied upon, and assumed the accuracy of, representations included in the documents submitted to us, upon certificates of officers of the Company and upon certificates of public officials, without independent investigation of their accuracy.

Based upon the foregoing and such other information and documents as we have considered necessary for the purposes hereof, and subject to the assumptions, qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:

1. The Company is a corporation validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.

2. The Shares have been duly authorized and, when and to the extent issued in accordance with the terms of the Plan and any award agreement entered into under the Plan, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

The opinions expressed above are limited to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware in effect on the date hereof. We do not express any opinion as to the laws of any other jurisdiction.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

This opinion letter is rendered as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to advise you of facts, circumstances, events or developments that hereafter may be brought to our attention and that may alter, affect or modify the opinion expressed herein. This opinion letter is expressly limited to the matters set forth above, and we render no opinion, whether by implication or otherwise, as to any matters beyond the matters expressly set forth herein.

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the use of our report dated April 1, 2024, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. and subsidiaries, incorporated herein by reference.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Miami, Florida

September 13, 2024

Exhibit 107

CALCULATION OF FILING FEE TABLE

Form S-8

(Form Type)

AST SpaceMobile, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1 - Newly Registered Securities