# SpaceX
Latest news and articles about SpaceX
Total: 48 articles found
Musk’s Orbital Gambit: Merging SpaceX and xAI to Build a $1.5 Trillion AI-in-Space Empire
Elon Musk is reportedly preparing to merge xAI into SpaceX and pursue a blockbuster IPO that would combine rockets, the Starlink network, X and the Grok AI model. The strategy aims to move compute into orbit to bypass terrestrial energy and cooling limits, but it raises major technical, regulatory and national-security questions.
Musk Eyes ‘Space Compute’ and Robot Missions to Moon and Mars as He Weighs Corporate Consolidation
Elon Musk is reportedly advancing plans to shift substantial computing into space, consider mergers among his companies, and explore delivering Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots to the Moon and Mars. The ambition combines SpaceX’s launch capability with Tesla’s robotics and Musk’s AI interests, but faces steep technical, economic and regulatory hurdles.
Germany Eyes a ‘Military Starlink’: Rheinmetall and OHB Move to Capture €35bn Defence‑Space Jackpot
Rheinmetall and OHB are negotiating to bid for a German military LEO satellite communications programme that could tap into roughly €35 billion of planned defence‑space spending. The project aims to create a domestically built, Starlink‑style network to improve resilience and reduce reliance on foreign commercial providers, but it faces strong competition and significant technical and industrial challenges.
The Quiet Power Behind SpaceX: Gwynne Shotwell, the ‘Adult in the Room’ Reassuring Markets Ahead of a Giant IPO
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and COO, has long been the operational anchor behind Elon Musk’s ambitions, credited with rescuing the company during its 2008 crisis and sustaining key customer relationships. As SpaceX prepares for a high‑profile IPO, her steadiness reassures investors, even as public markets will demand clearer governance and succession structures than a founder‑centric private company has relied on to date.
Musk at Davos: China Holds the Key to Powering an AI Future as Tesla Counts Down to FSD and Optimus Sales
At Davos, Elon Musk argued that electricity — not chips — will be the binding constraint on large-scale AI and robot deployment, praising China’s massive solar build-out as the practical remedy. He set aggressive timelines for RoboTaxis, FSD regulatory approvals in Europe and China, Optimus humanoid sales by late 2027, and space-based AI data centres enabled by fully reusable Starship launches.
Musk Warns AI Growth Will Run Up Against Power Limits — and Plans Solar AI Satellites
Elon Musk cautioned that electricity supply, not chip inventory, may soon cap AI deployment, predicting that chip output could exceed the number of units actually powered. He also proposed launching solar-powered AI satellites with SpaceX in the coming years as a way to sidestep terrestrial power constraints.
Musk’s Surprise Davos Appearance and a Winter-Driven Energy Shock Roil Markets
A severe US winter storm has sent natural gas futures sharply higher, complicating an otherwise positive session for US equity futures. Elon Musk’s unexpected Davos appearance adds a volatility vector for technology and AI-focused stocks, while chip supply constraints and corporate moves in semiconductors, crypto custody and fusion power frame a broader market narrative.
China’s 200,000‑Satellite Gambit: Racing to Lock the Orbits
China’s late‑2025 ITU filing for approximately 203,000 low‑ and medium‑orbit satellites has jolted the global space sector, prompting rapid reactions from incumbents and regulators. The move underscores a strategic race for finite orbital slots and spectrum that will shape 6G, national security and the economics of space for decades.
SpaceX Marks 600th Falcon Flight as Falcon 9 Delivers Classified NROL-105 from California
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg on 17 January 2026, delivering the classified NROL‑105 payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office and marking the 600th Falcon‑series mission. The milestone encapsulates the growing role of commercial launch providers in national security and underscores shifting strategic, economic and regulatory dynamics in space.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Carries Classified NROL-105 to Orbit, Marking 600th Falcon Launch
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from California on January 17, successfully placing the classified NROL‑105 payload into orbit and completing the 600th Falcon‑series mission. The flight underscores the growing role of commercial launch providers in delivering sensitive national‑security assets and raises strategic questions about reliance on a dominant private supplier.
Starlink’s Rise: How Musk’s Satellite Network Became a Geopolitical Weapon — and a Cash Cow
Starlink has moved from commercial broadband provider to an instrument of geopolitical influence, supported by billions in U.S. government contracts and explosive subscriber growth that helped lift SpaceX’s valuation to roughly $800bn by end‑2025. Its dual civilian‑military business model, technical dominance and growing role in conflict zones pose fresh political and regulatory dilemmas for states and markets.
How SpaceX’s Starlink Became a Geopolitical Lever — and What It Means for Markets and Alliances
Starlink has evolved from a consumer satellite broadband service into a strategic instrument backed by substantial U.S. government contracts and allied support, contributing to SpaceX’s dramatic valuation rise. Its use in conflict zones alongside recent U.S. political moves and market responses underscores how private platforms, state security needs and capital markets are now mutually reinforcing.