Satellite   AI   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Commercial Space   Space Policy & International Cooperation   Space Debris & Traffic Management  
Financial Times • Tim Bradshaw

Musk's push for up to 1 million orbital AI data centres underpins $1.25T SpaceX–xAI merger and alarms astronomers

Elon Musk is pushing to host AI compute in orbit—reports say SpaceX and xAI plan up to one million orbital data centres as part of a $1.25 trillion merger strategy—prompting alarm from astronomers and regulators over debris, spectrum use and impacts to observations.

2026-03-12T21:17:57.395115-07:00
China   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Space Exploration & Science Missions  
SpaceNews.com • Andrew Jones

China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission moves into spacecraft construction phase

By SpaceNews.com: China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission moves into spacecraft construction phase China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission is entering flight hardware development, targeting a late 2028 launch to seek out biosignatures on the Red Planet.

2026-03-12T16:09:07.996102-07:00
LEO   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Space Exploration & Science Missions   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Commercial Space   Space Debris & Traffic Management   NASA  
Space.com • Brett Tingley

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL departs ISS carrying disposable cargo for destructive reentry

By Space.com: A photo captures Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL freighter being jettisoned away from the International Space Station carrying thousands of pounds of garbage, headed for a fiery demise.

2026-03-12T10:08:58.238840-07:00