New York Times
• Cade Metz, Kate Conger
Google plans to launch prototype satellites with Planet by early 2027 to test whether orbital infrastructure can support large-scale AI computing. The Project Suncatcher experiments will evaluate TPU performance, radiation exposure, cooling and launch survival—early steps toward potential space-based data centers.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he appealed to SpaceX owner Elon Musk to expand Starlink satellite internet coverage in Ukraine, enabling Ukrainian forces to strike Russian ballistic-missile launchers located inside Russian territory. The request underscores the military importance of commercial satellite connectivity in the conflict.
HawkEye 360 announced multiple contracts worth approximately $18 million with customers in the Middle East. The agreements expand the commercial satellite company’s regional business, underscoring continued demand for space-based capabilities among customers in the region.
The UK has established its first dedicated space squadron within the Royal Air Force to protect satellites vital to everyday life. The unit will focus on disrupting, degrading and denying hostile activity targeting British interests in space, marking a significant expansion of the country’s space-defense posture.
U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said satellites are critical to national intelligence gathering and missile-warning capabilities, and now underpin almost one-fifth of the U.K. economy. His remarks frame space infrastructure as both a defense priority and an increasingly consequential component of national economic activity.
High activity
Google plans to launch prototype satellites with Planet by early 2027 to test whether orbital infrastructure can support large-scale AI computing. The Project Suncatcher experiments will evaluate TPU performance, radiation exposure, cooling and launch survival—early steps toward potential space-based data centers.
High activity
Starfish Space has completed its first full-scale Otter spacecraft and assigned it to a customer mission, slated for launch on Transporter-18. The Seattle-area company says the vehicle will demonstrate close inspection and docking technologies, marking its transition from scaled technology demonstrations toward operational satellite servicing.
Hubble Network has raised $200 million in Series C financing, bringing its total funding to $300 million and valuing the company at $1.6 billion. The round follows a $70 million Series B completed in September 2025, underscoring continued investor backing for the company’s development.
Direct-to-device satellite connectivity is approaching a market inflection point, but operators’ reliance on mobile network operators may constrain growth. Reaching customers beyond carrier distribution could determine whether D2D develops into a scalable extension of terrestrial cellular networks or remains a limited connectivity enhancement.
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