News

Reuters • Echo Wang, Joey Roulette

SpaceX and xAI in merger talks to unite Grok, Starlink, X and launch operations ahead of planned IPO

SpaceX and Elon Musk’s xAI are in preliminary merger discussions that would combine the Grok chatbot, Starlink satellite network, the X platform and SpaceX’s launch capabilities into a single corporation. The talks come as the companies prepare for a planned IPO later this year and spotlight on‑orbit AI/data‑centre ambitions and regulatory questions.

2026-01-29T10:52:39.791203-08:00

Via Satellite

York Space Systems raises $629M in upsized IPO to scale smallsat production

2026-01-29T13:32:32.879738-08:00

nro.gov

NRO declassifies JUMPSEAT: Cold War HEO SIGINT satellites revealed

2026-01-28T14:10:32.315014-08:00

Space.com

Rocket Lab lofts South Korea's 'Bridging the Swarm' nanosatellite for disaster‑monitoring constellation

2026-01-29T13:12:52.250617-08:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Global space economy reaches $626 billion as commercial services and investment ignite a new growth phase The global space economy expanded to $626 billion, signalling a new phase of growth driven by commercial services and rising public‑and‑private investment. The shift places service revenue and capital deployment at the centre of industry strategy, reshaping market priorities and funding flows.

2026-01-29T13:32:43.302528-08:00

Global space economy reaches $626 billion as commercial services and investment ignite a new growth phase

Via Satellite

York Space Systems raises $629M in upsized IPO to scale smallsat production York Space Systems priced an upsized IPO of 18,500,000 shares, raising $629 million to expand satellite manufacturing capacity. CEO Dirk Wallinger said proceeds will enable York to deliver smallsats “to meet large proliferation at scale, at an affordable price,” underpinning its push as a fast, defense-focused prime.

2026-01-29T13:32:32.879738-08:00

York Space Systems raises $629M in upsized IPO to scale smallsat production

Space.com

Rocket Lab lofts South Korea's 'Bridging the Swarm' nanosatellite for disaster‑monitoring constellation Rocket Lab's Electron launched from New Zealand Jan. 29–30 and deployed South Korea's 'Bridging the Swarm' nanosatellite, a disaster‑monitoring Earth‑observation craft that will join Seoul's planned constellation. It was Rocket Lab's 81st Electron flight and the company's second launch in eight days.

2026-01-29T13:12:52.250617-08:00

Rocket Lab lofts South Korea's 'Bridging the Swarm' nanosatellite for disaster‑monitoring constellation

SpaceWatch Global

SCT named operator of OmanSat‑1 as CEO frames it as a step toward sovereign satellite capability SCT CEO Salim Al Alawi told Torsten Kriening his company has been appointed to manage and operate OmanSat‑1, positioning SCT as Oman's operational lead for the country's first GEO communications satellite and a central element in building sovereign space capabilities.

2026-01-29T12:32:50.888943-08:00

SCT named operator of OmanSat‑1 as CEO frames it as a step toward sovereign satellite capability

SpaceNews.com

Eutelsat's planned private‑equity sale of ground infrastructure collapses, wiping about $658M in expected proceeds Eutelsat said a planned sale of its passive ground infrastructure to a private‑equity firm, first announced in August 2024, will not proceed, removing roughly $658 million in expected proceeds. The cancellation eliminates a significant cash inflow the operator had included in its prior financing assumptions.

2026-01-29T11:11:35.591492-08:00

Eutelsat's planned private‑equity sale of ground infrastructure collapses, wiping about $658M in expected proceeds

Reuters

❗️

SpaceX and xAI in merger talks to unite Grok, Starlink, X and launch operations ahead of planned IPO SpaceX and Elon Musk’s xAI are in preliminary merger discussions that would combine the Grok chatbot, Starlink satellite network, the X platform and SpaceX’s launch capabilities into a single corporation. The talks come as the companies prepare for a planned IPO later this year and spotlight on‑orbit AI/data‑centre ambitions and regulatory questions.

2026-01-29T10:52:39.791203-08:00

SpaceX and xAI in merger talks to unite Grok, Starlink, X and launch operations ahead of planned IPO

SpaceWatch Global

MESC 2026: What’s driving the Middle East’s accelerating space momentum — Novaspace CEO Pacome Revillon interviewed At MESC 2026 Torsten Kriening interviews Novaspace CEO Pacome Revillon to unpack the drivers behind the Middle East's accelerating space momentum. The conversation examines Novaspace's strategy, regional commercial and national dynamics, and what sustained growth will mean for the emerging Middle Eastern space ecosystem.

2026-01-29T10:34:36.349611-08:00

MESC 2026: What’s driving the Middle East’s accelerating space momentum — Novaspace CEO Pacome Revillon interviewed

SpaceWatch Global

MESC 2026 — OmanSat‑1 and the future of sovereign connectivity At MESC 2026 in Muscat, Torsten Kriening interviews Stéphane Vesval, SVP Sales Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, about OmanSat‑1 and the future of sovereign connectivity. The conversation explores Airbus’s role in national satellite programmes and implications for sovereign communications capability.

2026-01-29T10:16:23.609451-08:00

MESC 2026 — OmanSat‑1 and the future of sovereign connectivity

Menu

Satellite News

SpaceX and xAI in merger talks to unite Grok, Starlink, X and launch operations ahead of planned IPO

York Space Systems raises $629M in upsized IPO to scale smallsat production

NRO declassifies JUMPSEAT: Cold War HEO SIGINT satellites revealed

Rocket Lab lofts South Korea's 'Bridging the Swarm' nanosatellite for disaster‑monitoring constellation

News Timeline