Satellite Programs & Technology News

Wall Street Journal • Becky Peterson

SpaceX to Invest $2 Billion in xAI, Valuing Merged AI Unit at $113 Billion

SpaceX will commit $2 billion to Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI as part of a $5 billion equity round, the Wall Street Journal reported. The funding follows xAI’s merger with social media platform X, valuing the combined business at about $113 billion and powering its Grok chatbot integration into Starlink support.

2025-07-12T15:35:23.188378-07:00

Via Satellite

ESA establishes Europe’s first deep-space optical laser link with NASA’s Psyche spacecraft

2025-07-11T11:24:00.769322-07:00

Ars Technica

Russia’s ‘killer’ satellites stalk rivals in orbit, perplexing skywatchers

2025-07-11T03:41:50.512804-07:00

Reuters

Starlink Secures Final Regulatory Nod for Commercial Satellite Internet Service in India

2025-07-09T03:27:08.586195-07:00

Satellite Programs & Technology News Timeline

Space.com

SpaceX Falcon 9 Sends Mystery Commercial GTO-1 to Geostationary Transfer Orbit At 1:04 a.m. EDT on July 13, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying the cryptically named “Commercial GTO-1” payload into geostationary transfer orbit, marking another classified commercial mission for its reusable booster.

2025-07-12T22:28:27.602165-07:00

SpaceX Falcon 9 Sends Mystery Commercial GTO-1 to Geostationary Transfer Orbit

Wall Street Journal

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SpaceX to Invest $2 Billion in xAI, Valuing Merged AI Unit at $113 Billion SpaceX will commit $2 billion to Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI as part of a $5 billion equity round, the Wall Street Journal reported. The funding follows xAI’s merger with social media platform X, valuing the combined business at about $113 billion and powering its Grok chatbot integration into Starlink support.

2025-07-12T15:35:23.188378-07:00

SpaceX to Invest $2 Billion in xAI, Valuing Merged AI Unit at $113 Billion

thesouthafrican.com

South Africa’s EFF brands Starlink a ‘terrorist’ organisation, warns of security threat South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters have designated Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture Starlink a ‘terrorist’ organization, claiming it poses a national security risk. The EFF’s motion seeks to halt spectrum allocations and licensing negotiations, intensifying political opposition to Starlink’s planned deployment in the region.

2025-07-12T07:19:10.047392-07:00

South Africa’s EFF brands Starlink a ‘terrorist’ organisation, warns of security threat

Via Satellite

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ESA establishes Europe’s first deep-space optical laser link with NASA’s Psyche spacecraft The European Space Agency has successfully established Europe’s first deep-space optical communication link using two purpose-built ground stations in Greece to communicate with NASA’s DSOC experiment aboard the Psyche mission 265 million kilometers away. The demonstration paves the way for high-bandwidth data return on future deep-space science missions.

2025-07-11T11:24:00.769322-07:00

ESA establishes Europe’s first deep-space optical laser link with NASA’s Psyche spacecraft

Ars Technica

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Russia’s ‘killer’ satellites stalk rivals in orbit, perplexing skywatchers Lurking in Low Earth Orbit, a new class of Russian satellites has executed stealthy rendezvous maneuvers near foreign spacecraft, fueling international alarms over escalating counterspace tactics. Analysts warn these ‘killer’ platforms blur the line between surveillance and offensive capabilities in growing orbital confrontations.

2025-07-11T03:41:50.512804-07:00

Russia’s ‘killer’ satellites stalk rivals in orbit, perplexing skywatchers

Associated Press

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Iranian Ballistic Missile Hits US Secure Communications Dome at Al Udeid Air Base On June 23, Iran launched a ballistic missile that struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, hitting a $15 million geodesic dome housing the US military’s secure communications equipment, the Pentagon confirmed July 11. Satellite imagery shows the dome sustained significant damage, underscoring vulnerabilities at the region’s key operations hub.

2025-07-11T01:20:30.674054-07:00

Iranian Ballistic Missile Hits US Secure Communications Dome at Al Udeid Air Base

Universe Today

A Small Satellite Could See a Perfect Solar Eclipse Every Month

2025-07-10T23:41:41.733300-07:00

A Small Satellite Could See a

Payload

GAO Urges Mandated Servicing Interfaces to Boost On-Orbit Servicing Uptake According to a new GAO report, the US government could require future satellites to include standardized interfaces for on-orbit servicing, assembly and in-space refueling. The mandate aims to overcome integration complexities and high upfront costs that have hampered private-sector ISAM adoption and drive more lifecycle-extending missions.

2025-07-10T18:21:24.094059-07:00

GAO Urges Mandated Servicing Interfaces to Boost On-Orbit Servicing Uptake

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