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Category: satellites

Sierra Space Completes First Nine Satellite Structures for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer, Three Months Ahead of Schedule

Milestone accelerates progress toward delivering advanced missile tracking capabilities for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – January 6, 2026 – Sierra Space, a proven defense-tech company delivering solutions for the nation’s most critical missions and advancing the future of security in space, announced today the completion of the first nine satellite structures, Plane 1 of the 18 total satellites Sierra Space is contracted to deliver for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 2 Tracking Layer (T2TRK) program. Achieved three months ahead of schedule, this milestone underscores Sierra Space’s ability to meet key program milestones with efficiency and precision, helping to ensure that the T2TRK program remains on track for delivery and launch readiness.

“We stood up our high-rate manufacturing facility, Victory Works, to meet the demanding requirements of our customer,” said Erik Daehler, Senior Vice President of Sierra Space Defense. “To go from a successful Critical Design Review to completing the Plane 1 satellite structures—three months ahead of schedule—is a powerful validation of our investment in scalable infrastructure. Our team is energized as we move into the next phase of Plane 1 development, focusing on assembly, integration, and testing, while also beginning the satellite structure build for Plane 2, the remaining nine satellites of the 18-satellite constellation for SDA.”

A Mysterious Weak Spot in Earth’s Magnetic Field Has Grown Nearly Half the Size of Europe

Long-term satellite measurements show that Earth’s magnetic field is changing faster and more unevenly than expected, driven by dynamic processes deep within the planet’s core. Drawing on 11 years of magnetic field data collected by the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellite constellation, resea

Who Will Buy Starcloud for Datacenters In Space? 🛰️

Questions to inspire discussion.

💰 Q: Which companies are most likely to acquire StarCloud and why? A: Microsoft, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, and Nvidia are prime candidates to acquire StarCloud for billions to gain first-mover advantage in the space data center industry, allowing them to immediately access 20 of the smartest satellite engineers and an operational program to expand rather than building from scratch.

Technical Achievement.

⚡ Q: What technical milestone did StarCloud achieve that validates the space datacenter concept? A: StarCloud’s recent launch demonstrated a space-based NVIDIA H100 data center that is 100 times more powerful than anything previously launched and successfully ran Gemini AI model, marking the dawn of a new era and proving the viability of AI compute power in space.

🛸 Q: What launch advantage does SpaceX have in the space datacenter industry? A: SpaceX currently holds a monopoly on launching data centers into space with competitors like Blue Origin and Rocket Lab still needing to develop capable rockets, while SpaceX’s Starship is expected to remain the cheapest and best option for orbital launches.

Strategic Value.

Continue reading “Who Will Buy Starcloud for Datacenters In Space? 🛰️” | >

Starlink Rival Launches Its Largest Satellite Yet for Space-Based Cellular Network

With this week’s launch, the company is poised to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink in beaming connectivity from space.

Size does matter

AST SpaceMobile launched its first satellite, BlueWalker 3, in September 2022 to test its ability to establsih cellphone towers in space. A year later, the company used its prototype satellite to carry out the first 5G phone call from space to a regular Samsung Galaxy S22.

Why Everyone Is Talking About Data Centers In Space

Questions to inspire discussion.

Launch Economics & Viability.

🚀 Q: What launch cost makes space data centers economically competitive? A: Space data centers become cost-competitive with ground systems when launch costs drop to approximately $200/kg, according to Google’s Suncatcher paper, making the economics viable for moving compute infrastructure off-Earth.

💰 Q: Why might SpaceX pursue a $1.5 trillion IPO valuation? A: The projected $1.5 trillion SpaceX IPO valuation is speculated to fund the capital-intensive race to establish space-based data centers and secure the best orbital positions before competitors.

🏢 Q: Which companies can realistically build space data centers first? A: Vertically integrated organizations like SpaceX, Relativity Space, and Blue Origin lead because they control launch infrastructure, can self-fund deployment, and serve as their own customers for space compute capacity.

🛰️ Q: How would space data centers physically connect GPUs across satellites? A: Multiple free-flying satellites in formation (like 20+ Starlink satellites) use inter-satellite optical connections to enable communication between GPUs, creating high-density computing clusters in orbit.

Continue reading “Why Everyone Is Talking About Data Centers In Space” | >

More eyes on the skies can help planes reduce climate-warming contrails

Aviation’s climate impact is partly due to contrails—condensation that a plane streaks across the sky when it flies through icy and humid layers of the atmosphere. Contrails trap heat that radiates from the planet’s surface, and while the magnitude of this impact is uncertain, several studies suggest contrails may be responsible for about half of aviation’s climate impact.

Pilots could conceivably reduce their planes’ climate impact by avoiding contrail-prone regions, similarly to making altitude adjustments to avoid turbulence. But to do so requires knowing where in the sky contrails are likely to form.

To make these predictions, scientists are studying images of contrails that have formed in the past. Images taken by geostationary satellites are one of the main tools scientists use to develop contrail identification and avoidance systems.

The Governance Case for Tesla Taking a Pre-IPO Stake in SpaceX

Elon Musk is considering Tesla taking a pre-IPO stake in SpaceX to integrate their businesses, accelerate ambitious projects, and increase the value of both companies ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.

Strategic Governance Alignment.

🔄 Q: Why should Tesla acquire a pre-IPO stake in SpaceX rather than waiting until after the IPO? A: A pre-IPO stake resolves governance and conflict risks before SpaceX’s planned $30B IPO in mid-2026, ensuring all transactions are recorded as part of the IPO and avoiding complications that could impact IPO pricing or create persistent post-IPO conflicts between the two companies.

🎯 Q: What is the core governance problem Tesla shareholders currently face with SpaceX? A: Tesla shareholders are exposed to SpaceX outcomes through dependencies on Starlink connectivity, orbital compute, and launch cadence without any ownership rights, governance rights, or downside protection as the companies converge operationally but not financially.

⚖️ Q: How would a pre-IPO stake transaction affect Tesla’s ownership structure and Musk’s control? A: The transaction would dilute Tesla by 20% but could raise market cap to $1.62-2T, increasing Musk’s stake to 22.1–24% and his net worth approaching $1T, enabling him to achieve 25% control significantly earlier than under the compensation plan.

Capital Requirements and Infrastructure.

Continue reading “The Governance Case for Tesla Taking a Pre-IPO Stake in SpaceX” | >

Highly insulating polymer film that shields satellites to boost flexible electronics’ performance

Researchers have found that they could use highly insulating aluminum-coated polymer film to improve the performance of flexible electronics and medical sensors.

Currently, the aluminum-coated polymer film is used to shield satellites from temperature extremes.

Researchers at Empa have succeeded in making the material even more resistant by implementing an ultra-thin intermediate layer.

SpaceX sets plans for massive $20M H-E-B sized Texas project

So, essentially SpaceX’s new parking garage will be bigger than your local H-E-B (excluding the largest H-E-B in San Antonio of course). Construction on the garage began earlier this year in February, but it’s expected to be completed by January 7, 2027, according to the TDLR.

SpaceX’s Bastrop facility is a major manufacturing hub for its Starlink satellite internet service, producing terminals and components. It’s located across the street from Hyperloop Plaza, a Musk-owned shopping center which houses The Boring Company, and the new X (formerly Twitter) headquarters.

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