Ars Technica
• Eric Berger
Amazon says it has built its 1,000th satellite and is weeks from beginning its space-based internet rollout. The milestone puts the focus on the manufacturing scale and deployment cadence behind Project Kuiper as the company moves from satellite production toward service launch.
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Lithuanian space startup Astrolight says it has successfully commissioned a space-to-ground laser communication link for a client. The announcement marks the company’s delivery of its first such link, though the available report does not identify the client or provide technical details, operating parameters or the system’s intended use.
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Amazon says it has built its 1,000th satellite and is weeks from beginning its space-based internet rollout. The milestone puts the focus on the manufacturing scale and deployment cadence behind Project Kuiper as the company moves from satellite production toward service launch.
BlackSky Technology said it has secured a six-figure pilot contract with an international intelligence agency for global, on-demand, high-resolution imagery. The announcement signals a trial engagement for the company’s satellite-imagery services, but the agency and the contract’s duration were not identified.
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The Exploration Company plans to test its ONEIROS lunar hopper demonstrator in the United Arab Emirates in 2027. The planned trial is a development milestone for the company’s lunar vehicle program, though no further details on the test or its objectives were provided.
Donald Trump disclosed 517 trades made in August, including up to $5 million in debt from SpaceX, a major Pentagon contractor and NASA launch provider. The filing also listed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, according to the article.
Los Angeles-based Fortastra raised $30 million in a Series A round to develop its next-generation spacecraft for on-orbit security. The company says the funding will support development as government demand grows for space-based security systems.
A voluntary federal pilot could shape how the United States oversees emerging commercial-space activities: through clear, generally applicable rules or discretionary government permission for activities deemed novel. The choice matters as new business models test the boundaries of existing oversight.
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