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New York Times

Musk merges SpaceX and xAI into a $1.25T rocket-and-AI company

Elon Musk announced a merger of SpaceX and xAI that values the combined company at $1.25 trillion. The deal merges launch capacity, Starlink connectivity and xAI's AI stack, creating a rocket‑and‑AI giant and triggering investor concerns alongside national‑security and regulatory questions.

2026-02-03T05:35:35.133579-08:00

Reuters

Germany proposes €35bn military space plan to field spy satellites, spaceplanes and offensive lasers

2026-02-02T23:35:32.471439-08:00

SpaceNews.com

CesiumAstro raises $470M to scale Element LEO, AI-driven defense satcom and Austin manufacturing

2026-02-02T04:07:28.710086-08:00

spaceanddefense.io

ESA appoints Laurent Jaffart to lead new Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity directorate

2026-02-01T16:34:43.031785-08:00

News Timeline

AeroTime

NASA funds SpaceWorks and Stratolaunch studies to make hypersonic flight testing routine and affordable NASA has awarded studies to SpaceWorks and Stratolaunch designed to cut the cost of hypersonic flight testing and make test flights routine and repeatable. The work will explore approaches to lower per-test expense and increase cadence for experimental hypersonic vehicles.

2026-02-03T05:38:03.298441-08:00

NASA funds SpaceWorks and Stratolaunch studies to make hypersonic flight testing routine and affordable

New York Times

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Musk merges SpaceX and xAI into a $1.25T rocket-and-AI company Elon Musk announced a merger of SpaceX and xAI that values the combined company at $1.25 trillion. The deal merges launch capacity, Starlink connectivity and xAI's AI stack, creating a rocket‑and‑AI giant and triggering investor concerns alongside national‑security and regulatory questions.

2026-02-03T05:35:35.133579-08:00

Musk merges SpaceX and xAI into a $1.25T rocket-and-AI company

Reuters

Germany proposes €35bn military space plan to field spy satellites, spaceplanes and offensive lasers Berlin is weighing a €35 billion military space spending plan to procure spy satellites, spaceplanes and offensive laser systems aimed at countering growing orbital threats from Russia and China, the German space commander said. The proposal would substantially accelerate Germany's sovereign milsatcom and space-warfare posture.

2026-02-02T23:35:32.471439-08:00

Germany proposes €35bn military space plan to field spy satellites, spaceplanes and offensive lasers

Bloomberg Law

Hegseth visits Blue Origin at KSC, pitches 'Department of War' vision and asks Bezos to help overhaul Pentagon procurement On Feb. 2, 2026 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth toured Blue Origin’s Merritt Island facility at Kennedy Space Center, delivered remarks to employees, praised the firm and called on Jeff Bezos to help reform Pentagon procurement as he escalated criticism of legacy defense acquisition.

2026-02-02T10:58:09.443593-08:00

Hegseth visits Blue Origin at KSC, pitches 'Department of War' vision and asks Bezos to help overhaul Pentagon procurement

SpaceNews.com

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CesiumAstro raises $470M to scale Element LEO, AI-driven defense satcom and Austin manufacturing CesiumAstro closed $470 million in growth capital — $270M equity led by Trousdale Ventures plus $200M EXIM/J.P. Morgan-backed debt — to accelerate its Element LEO satellite program, scale AI-enabled space and defense communications, fund eight SpaceX rideshares and expand Austin manufacturing and HQ capacity.

2026-02-02T04:07:28.710086-08:00

CesiumAstro raises $470M to scale Element LEO, AI-driven defense satcom and Austin manufacturing

spaceanddefense.io

ESA appoints Laurent Jaffart to lead new Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity directorate The European Space Agency Council has approved the reassignment of Laurent Jaffart to a newly created Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity (D/RNC), effective 1 February 2026. The move, from his role as Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, signals ESA’s prioritisation of space-based resilience for European security, navigation and connectivity.

2026-02-01T16:34:43.031785-08:00

ESA appoints Laurent Jaffart to lead new Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity directorate

Reuters

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SpaceX disables and restricts Starlink in Ukraine after Russian attack drones use captured terminals SpaceX has disabled and restricted Starlink terminals on vehicles in Ukraine after Ukrainian authorities detected Russian forces mounting captured Starlink units on attack drones to strike military targets. SpaceX says it blocked "unauthorized" access and Kyiv will disconnect unauthorized terminals.

2026-02-01T01:09:17.484955-08:00

SpaceX disables and restricts Starlink in Ukraine after Russian attack drones use captured terminals

Space.com

Retired Russian geostationary 'inspector' satellite appears to fragment, raising GEO debris risk Ground-based sensors report a retired Russian geostationary “inspector” satellite appears to have fragmented months after retirement. The breakup adds trackable debris in GEO, increasing collision and long-term contamination risks for high‑Earth orbit assets and complicating space situational awareness.

2026-01-30T13:03:58.297066-08:00

Retired Russian geostationary 'inspector' satellite appears to fragment, raising GEO debris risk

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Space Defense & Militarization News

Musk merges SpaceX and xAI into a $1.25T rocket-and-AI company

Germany proposes €35bn military space plan to field spy satellites, spaceplanes and offensive lasers

CesiumAstro raises $470M to scale Element LEO, AI-driven defense satcom and Austin manufacturing

ESA appoints Laurent Jaffart to lead new Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity directorate

News Timeline