Author: starpathwp-production
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France Blocks Eutelsat Antenna Sale to EQT Over Strategic Concerns
France has blocked satellite operator Eutelsat from selling its ground-based antenna business to private equity firm EQT, citing concerns that the deal would undermine Europe’s ability to compete with Starlink, Bloomberg reported. The proposed transaction, valued at about €550 million (£550 million), would have seen EQT Infrastructure acquire a majority stake in Eutelsat’s Ground Station…
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SpaceX Acquires Musk’s AI Firm xAI in Bid to Integrate Space and Artificial Intelligence
SpaceX has acquired xAI, the artificial intelligence firm founded by billionaire Elon Musk, as he moves to consolidate more of his technology businesses under a single structure. The transaction values SpaceX at around $1 trillion and xAI at about $250 billion, according to a source familiar with the deal. Financial terms were not disclosed. SpaceX…
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Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal, critical milestone to launch – Attempt 1 scrubbed
Artemis II is still waiting to pass its Wet Dress Rehearsal following an extended attempt to get through the terminal count on Monday. Teams had a hydrogen leak earlier in the countdown, before an extended hold due to additional work required by the closeout team. With time running out in the window, SLS finally entered…
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Rocket Lab Launches South Korean Disaster-Monitoring Satellite After Delay
Rocket Lab successfully launched a South Korean Earth-observation satellite from New Zealand on Thursday, placing a disaster-monitoring spacecraft into low Earth orbit about six weeks later than originally planned. A 59-foot Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s launch site on the Māhia Peninsula at 8:21 p.m. EST (0121 GMT on Friday), carrying the “Bridging…
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SpaceX Seeks U.S. Approval to Launch Up to One Million Satellites for Orbital AI Data Centres
SpaceX has applied for a licence from the Federal Communications Commission to deploy up to one million satellites, outlining plans to build large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in orbit, according to a regulatory filing cited by Bloomberg. In the application submitted late on Jan. 30, SpaceX said it intends to construct a solar-powered satellite…
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NASA Awards Axiom Fifth Private Astronaut Mission to ISS, Targeting 2027 Launch
NASA has awarded Axiom Space its fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, reinforcing the agency’s strategy to expand commercial participation in low Earth orbit as it prepares for future missions beyond Earth. The mission, known as Axiom Mission 5, is scheduled to launch no earlier than January 2027 from Kennedy Space Center.…
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CesiumAstro Raises $470M in Growth Capital, CEO Sabripour Calls It a ‘Scale Moment’
CesiumAstro has secured $470 million in growth capital, with CEO Shey Sabripour calling it a “scale moment” for the company. The Series C funding includes $270 million in equity, led by Trousdale Ventures. Other investors include the Toyota VC firm Woven Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Airbus Ventures, the Development Bank of Japan Inc., MESH, NewSpace…
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York Space Systems Debuts on NYSE, CEO Highlights Role in Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Defense Plan
York Space Systems began trading as a public company on Thursday, with its founder and chief executive pointing to growing U.S. defense spending and President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative as a major growth opportunity. The Denver-based satellite manufacturer opened trading on the New York Stock Exchange at $38 a share, up…
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Varda Successfully Reenters W-5 Capsule, Marks First Fully Integrated Mission
Varda Space Industries said it has successfully completed the reentry and recovery of its W-5 capsule, marking the first time the company has flown a mission using its own vertically integrated satellite bus from launch through atmospheric return. The capsule, which carried a payload for the U.S. Navy, landed within a designated recovery zone at…
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NASA gears up for one more key test before launching Artemis II to the Moon
If all goes according to plan Monday, NASA’s launch team at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will load more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold propellants into the rocket built to send the Artemis II mission toward the Moon. The fuel loading is part of a simulated countdown for the Space Launch System rocket, a final…