SpaceX is targeting Friday morning for NROL-179, its third 2026 flight supporting the National Reconnaissance Office’s proliferated architecture constellation of intelligence satellites believed to be Starshield variants. The booster on its third flight will attempt a landing at Vandenberg’s Landing Zone 4.
Neither the NRO nor SpaceX has confirmed on the record that these are government-modified versions of the Starlink design.
Those relay satellites also support inter-satellite optical links that form part of both the NRO’s resilient communications network and the Department of War’s planned Space-Data Network.
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SpaceX has agreed to acquire Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz spectrum portfolio, which it says will pave the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major US mobile carrier. The deal needs FCC approval, and financial terms were not disclosed.
SpaceX is seeking $40 billion in debt financing led by Apollo Global Management to buy Nvidia AI chips, with talks still early and a possible 2027 close. The move highlights the scale of capital required for AI infrastructure expansion across Musk's companies.
Elon Musk said on October 4 that SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI, adopting "SI" for super intelligence after President Trump's push to drop "AI."
SpaceX Starship reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight from Texas on September 28 despite an early engine shutdown. The vehicle is expected to complete six orbits over 10 hours and deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites before Pacific splashdown.
NASA awarded SpaceX a $946 million contract for three more crewed missions to the ISS, bringing the company's total under the deal to 17 flights through 2030 and the contract value to $5.92 billion. The expansion helps NASA sustain access to the station while Boeing prepares its Starliner for crewed operations.
