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SpaceX announced a deal to acquire all of Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz low-band spectrum licenses, covering up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum, pending FCC approval. The company says this follows its earlier acquisition of spectrum from EchoStar and will let Starlink Mobile signals penetrate walls and other obstacles, something its satellite-only service cannot currently do well indoors.
At the International Astronautical Congress in Turkey, SpaceX Starlink VP and xAI president Michael Nicolls called for satellite operators to exchange more information on spacecraft locations and trajectories to avoid collisions. Starlink now operates over 11,000 satellites, roughly two-thirds of all active spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, with Amazon, China and SpaceX's planned Starmind constellation adding thousands more in coming years.
SpaceX is purchasing wireless spectrum licenses to support a mobile network built around its Starlink satellite system. The move would let the company offer direct cellular connectivity, positioning it to compete with established telecom carriers.
SpaceX announced a deal to acquire a nationwide spectrum license portfolio, covering up to 14 megahertz of paired low-band spectrum in the 800 MHz range, from digital infrastructure firm Grain Management. The agreement still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Elon Musk called it a 'very big deal' on X, while SpaceX said the spectrum fills a key technical gap for its Starlink Mobile service.
Director Alex Gibney has released a four-part documentary titled 'Musk' examining the life and career of Elon Musk, running roughly four hours in total. A review describes the film as engaging but prone to hyperbole in its portrayal of the tech entrepreneur.
SpaceX has acquired low-band spectrum licenses, including up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band, to support Starlink Mobile's growth into a full-fledged US wireless carrier. The company says this spectrum will improve signal penetration through walls and buildings, building on its earlier acquisition of 2GHz spectrum from EchoStar. The FCC has also approved SpaceX's plan to deploy 15,000 next-generation Starlink satellites offering more bandwidth than current models.
American Airlines has expanded its SpaceX Starlink Wi-Fi deal from 500 aircraft to its full mainline fleet of over 1,030 planes, with installation beginning next year. The service uses Starlink's Performance Aero Terminal, offering speeds up to 1Gbps for American's more than 165 million annual passengers.
Elon Musk publicly accused unnamed 'oligarchs' of blocking Starlink's entry into India to protect a monopoly, then directly asked whether Reliance's Mukesh Ambani is 'the real boss of India.' India's Ministry of Communications rejected the claims, saying Starlink and two other licensed satellite operators are at the same regulatory stage and all face mandatory security assessments before receiving spectrum.
In August, Donald Trump disclosed over 500 financial transactions, including a purchase of between $5 million and $25 million in Meta shares and an investment of up to $5 million in SpaceX senior notes. The filings reveal a highly active portfolio with significant trades across various companies, notably just before he endorsed a national space transportation policy.
SpaceXAI has become a Founding Corporate Patron of the Omacom Foundation, which oversees the Omarchy Linux distribution created by David Heinemeier Hansson, contributing $1.5 million worth of Grok tokens. Hansson said in a blog post the tokens would mainly fund faster development, code review, and bug fixes. The donation follows similar backing from companies like 1Password and Cloudflare, both of which faced criticism over their association with Hansson.
SpaceX is exploring a potential $40 billion financing package to purchase Nvidia AI processors, aiming to boost its computing infrastructure. The funding would likely include $10 billion in bank loans and $30 billion in investment-grade debt, with a possible completion date in 2027. If successful, xAI could acquire around 5,000 Nvidia Rubin systems, containing approximately 360,000 AI accelerators, significantly expanding its AI capabilities.
WIRED partnered with Neal Agarwal to create 'Spend Elon Musk’s Money,' an interactive website allowing users to virtually spend Musk’s estimated trillion-dollar wealth on various items. The tool tracks spending in real-time, illustrating how far a trillion dollars can go through tangible purchases. It aims to help people better grasp the scale of such immense wealth.