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Space

SpaceX buys 800 MHz spectrum to become a major US mobile carrier

SpaceX acquired low-band spectrum licenses, including up to 14 MHz of paired 800 MHz spectrum, that it says will let Starlink Mobile become a major US carrier once the FCC approves the deal. It plans to combine its satellite-to-mobile constellation with a terrestrial network to compete with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, after previously buying 2 GHz spectrum from EchoStar. The FCC has also approved 15,000 V2 Starlink Mobile satellites that SpaceX says will deliver more than 100 times the current generation’s bandwidth. The move aims to be the first operator using both satellite and terrestrial spectrum for indoor, outdoor, and dead-zone coverage.

Space

Antares Nuclear — $161M Space Force award to fly space reactors

Antares Nuclear announced a $161 million first-of-a-kind Strategic Breakthrough award from the U.S. Space Force to advance space nuclear power to flight, tied to a White House EO on Ensuring Space Superiority and the National Initiative for Space Nuclear Power. The firm will put private capital alongside the contract to integrate its R1S reactor with a spacecraft, complete a ground test, and power an operational Space Force ground asset with the Mark-1 demo. Prior Army and Air Force work on Janus and ANPI underpins the effort. The award moves space nuclear toward operational use for higher onboard power and propulsion.

The Feed

Signals about how SI and robotics are reshaping our world.

Space1mo ago

Fermi Explorer — First interstellar spacecraft targeting Alpha Centauri by 2029

Fermi Explorer is a privately led mission aiming to launch humanity's first spacecraft to another star system before the end of 2029, with a budget under $15 million. The spacecraft will carry at least a 1kg payload and is designed to reach at least 99% of the distance to Alpha Centauri — approximately 4.4 light-years away — within 80,000 years. The mission includes a Golden Record copy, scientific instruments, artistic contributions, and messages from children in every country. If successful, it would mark the first human-made object deliberately sent on an interstellar trajectory.

fermiexplorer.org

Space1mo ago

NASA Roman Space Telescope launches to map a billion galaxies

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched August 30, 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center, beginning a three-month journey to the Sun-Earth L2 point 1.5 million km away. Equipped with a 300-megapixel infrared wide-field camera and a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble's, Roman is expected to generate 1.4 terabytes of data daily — the highest rate of any NASA astrophysics mission to date. The mission was delivered ahead of schedule and on budget, with first public images targeted for early 2027. Roman represents a major leap in humanity's ability to survey dark energy, dark matter, and potentially life-bearing systems at cosmic scale.

sci.news

Space5mo ago

SpaceX IPO filing claims $28.5T TAM across space, Starlink, and AI

SpaceX filed its S-1 IPO prospectus with the SEC, claiming a $28.5 trillion total addressable market across three verticals: $370 billion in space-enabled solutions, $1.6 trillion in Starlink broadband and mobile connectivity, and $26.5 trillion in AI infrastructure and applications. The filing represents SpaceX's first public regulatory disclosure of its financials and strategy after years as a private company. This positions SpaceX as pursuing the largest claimed market opportunity in corporate history, extending far beyond traditional launch services into global internet and artificial intelligence.

x.com

Space6mo ago

White House launches National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released new guidance to Federal agencies establishing a National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power, fulfilling President Trump's Executive Order on Ensuring American Space Superiority. The initiative aims to develop nuclear power systems that provide sustained electricity, heating, and propulsion for permanent human presence on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This represents a major U.S. government push to prioritize nuclear technology for deep-space missions where solar power is insufficient, positioning America competitively in the international space race.

x.com

Space6mo ago

Artemis II crew sets new human distance record at 252,752 miles from Earth

NASA's Artemis II crew has traveled 252,752 miles from Earth during their lunar flyby mission, breaking the human distance record previously held by Apollo 13 in 1970 by 4,102 miles. This marks the first crewed Artemis mission after the successful uncrewed Artemis I flight. The milestone represents NASA's return to deep space human exploration after a 56-year gap and advances the agency's broader goals of lunar return and eventual Mars missions.

x.com

Space6mo ago

NASA launches Artemis II — First crewed lunar mission in over 50 years

NASA successfully launched four astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026, marking the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. The crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched by NASA's Space Launch System rocket, will conduct a 10-day test mission around the Moon, including a lunar flyby on April 6 where astronauts will photograph and observe the Moon's far side. The mission will test life support systems and spacecraft handling capabilities with crew for the first time. This represents a critical milestone in NASA's broader Artemis program to establish a permanent lunar presence and eventually reach Mars.

nasa.gov

Space6mo ago

NASA announces nuclear Mars spacecraft and moon base timeline for 2026-2028

NASA announced the Space Reactor-1 Freedom mission, the first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft launching by end of 2028, which will deploy three Mars helicopters and demonstrate advanced nuclear electric propulsion. The agency also restructured its Artemis program with Artemis IV now targeting the first human lunar landing in early 2028, followed by moon base construction beginning with Artemis V in late 2028. These developments represent NASA's most ambitious deep space exploration timeline, combining nuclear propulsion technology with permanent lunar infrastructure.

nytimes.com

Space7mo ago

Tesla announces TERAFAB — 1TW/year chip facility for space robotics

Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI announced TERAFAB, claimed to be the largest chip manufacturing facility ever with 1 terawatt per year capacity, combining logic, memory and advanced packaging under one roof. The facility aims to produce 100-200GW of chips for millions of Tesla Optimus robots and terawatts more for solar-powered AI satellites, supporting plans to launch 100 million tons of solar capture infrastructure into space annually. This represents a massive scale-up beyond current global chip production capacity to enable what Tesla calls 'galactic civilization' infrastructure.

x.com

Space7mo ago

AST SpaceMobile — wins $30M military broadband contract

AST SpaceMobile secured a $30 million contract from the U.S. military for a broadband demonstration project. This award reflects growing defense investment in space-based communication infrastructure to support military operations. The contract demonstrates how AI-enabled satellite connectivity is becoming critical for military command and control systems.

x.com

Space7mo ago

Oklahoma legislation proposes Gas, AI, and Space Research Hub

Oklahoma State Rep. Nick Archer introduced legislation to establish the Oklahoma Gas, AI, and Space Research Hub as a new federal laboratory. The facility would focus on research at the intersection of gas, AI, and space technologies. This signals growing state-level investment in AI capabilities for space applications and research infrastructure.

x.com

Space8mo ago

SpaceX — pursuing data center in space with xAI deal

SpaceX is advancing plans to deploy data centers in space as part of its xAI integration strategy, according to analyst commentary on the deal and its implications. The initiative represents a convergence of AI compute infrastructure and satellite constellation operations in orbital environments. This signals a fundamental shift in how space-based assets could be leveraged for AI workloads rather than traditional connectivity or Earth observation alone.

satellitetoday.com

Space8mo ago

SpaceX — competing in Pentagon contest for autonomous drone swarms

SpaceX and xAI are competing in a Pentagon contest with a $100 million prize to develop voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, as part of the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG). The drones are intended for both reconnaissance and offensive purposes across five development phases. This marks a significant expansion of SpaceX's government contracts beyond space access and satellites into autonomous weapons systems, with implications for how AI-driven autonomy could be applied to space-based military capabilities.

futurism.com

Space8mo ago

European robots successfully test lunar base construction in lava tubes

Autonomous robots working collaboratively in underground environments represents a breakthrough for sustainable lunar habitation. These systems prove that AI-driven construction robots can operate in extreme conditions without human oversight, solving the critical problem of how to build radiation-shielded Moon bases. This technology directly enables permanent human presence beyond Earth by automating the most dangerous and complex construction tasks in space environments.

sciencedaily.com

Space8mo ago

SpaceX acquires xAI — $1.25T merger targets orbital AI data centers

This merger fundamentally rewrites the economics of space computing by combining the world's leading rocket company with advanced AI capabilities. The plan to deploy up to 1 million satellites as orbital data centers could shift significant AI compute workloads off Earth, creating the first true space-based AI infrastructure. This isn't just about rockets anymore — it's about establishing space as the next frontier for AI processing power, potentially making orbital compute cheaper than terrestrial alternatives within 2-3 years.

techcrunch.com