SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
SpaceX’s reported public offering has drawn exceptional investor attention, while NorthStar Earth & Space has also begun trading after a SPAC merger. The cluster spans commercial orbital infrastructure, including an AI data-center test, alongside the Space Development Agency’s continued deployment of data-transport satellites.
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Rheinmetall and Argotec have launched their first jointly developed satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the initial step toward a broader constellation for intelligence gathering, air-defense surveillance and early warning.
Satellite software company Satlyt secured $8 million in seed financing led by non sibi ventures to develop virtual AI data centers in space. The funding will support engineering and customer-delivery hiring while scaling software deployments across spacecraft operated by other companies.
Delta Air Lines has chosen Amazon’s Leo satellite network to power its next-generation in-flight Wi-Fi, opting for the service over SpaceX’s Starlink. The decision positions Amazon’s emerging connectivity network as a competitor in airline broadband and gives Delta a different technology path from United.
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SpaceX’s reported public offering has drawn exceptional investor attention, while NorthStar Earth & Space has also begun trading after a SPAC merger. The cluster spans commercial orbital infrastructure, including an AI data-center test, alongside the Space Development Agency’s continued deployment of data-transport satellites.
Google has launched a satellite carrying several of the company’s AI chips, beginning an effort to determine whether advanced computing can operate in orbit. The mission will test the performance and practicality of running AI hardware in the space environment.
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SpaceX launched its Transporter-18 rideshare mission on Oct. 1, carrying 130 spacecraft and underscoring the scale and flexibility of its recurring launch service. The mission comes as the industry confronts the impending end of such rideshare opportunities, increasing the significance of available shared-launch capacity.
Two companies pursuing space-based solar power systems have secured agreements to advance their development, signaling continued commercial and institutional interest in generating and transmitting energy from orbit. The contracts could help move the concept from long-term vision toward further technical maturation.
The U.S. Space Force has retired a Cold War-era missile-warning satellite constellation following its final maneuver exercise. The move closes the operational chapter for a legacy space-based warning capability and marks a significant transition in the systems supporting strategic missile detection.
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