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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.
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.
India's Ministry of Communications responded to Elon Musk's accusations that regulatory barriers are unfairly blocking Starlink's entry into the country. The ministry stated that all satellite operators, including Starlink, are subject to the same regulatory procedures and security assessments before obtaining spectrum licenses. Despite years of efforts and partnerships with local telecom firms, Starlink has yet to commence commercial services in India, which has over a billion internet users.
Elon Musk has claimed that powerful Indian telecom companies are preventing Starlink from launching in India to maintain their market dominance. He stated that this interference is a 'crime against the people of India' and highlighted the country's telecom market being controlled by Jio and Airtel, which together hold over 80% of the market. Despite plans announced last year, Starlink has yet to begin service in India.
President Donald Trump presented the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to prominent tech executives, including Elon Musk, Michael Dell, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, and Satya Nadella, during the Science: A New Golden Age Summit. The event followed a recent White House AI-focused lunch where Trump claimed to have signed a 'morally binding' agreement with industry leaders. Many recipients have previously supported Trump or Republican campaigns financially.
The US Federal Communications Commission announced plans to auction 25 MHz of mid-band spectrum, revise rules for direct-to-device communications, and permit drones to operate on the 800MHz band. These proposals aim to enhance wireless connectivity options and expand drone capabilities, pending a vote later this month. The agency also approved SpaceX's satellite system at 330 km altitude, adding to its existing Starlink constellation.
Oracle, Broadcom, and SpaceX are engaging in discussions with lenders to secure substantial debt funding aimed at financing their investments in AI chip technology. These deals are expected to involve tens of billions of dollars each, highlighting the scale of their ambitions in the AI hardware sector.
The Federal Communications Commission announced it will hold a vote on October 29 to auction 25 megahertz of spectrum aimed at supporting satellite-to-smartphone connectivity. Additionally, the FCC will consider proposals to free up 482MHz for satellite coverage and update rules for direct-to-device services, potentially benefiting companies like SpaceX and Amazon. A third measure seeks to remove restrictions on drone operations within the 800 MHz cellular band.
SpaceX is reportedly negotiating with Apollo Capital Management and several banks to arrange financing for a $40 billion purchase of Nvidia GPUs, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The financing would largely rely on investment-grade debt markets, with the GPUs likely serving as collateral, just months after SpaceX raised $25 billion in bonds following its June IPO.