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Starlink

Starlink
A leading entity in the satellite communications sector, US-based Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, specialises in providing global satellite internet access. Headquartered in Austin Texas and Redmond Washington, it serves residential users in remote areas.
Starlink has said Taiwan is not a high priority. Photo: Handout
Taiwan

Taiwan opens door to Starlink. Now it must wait to see if Musk is ready to enter

Changes to the telecoms law remove barriers to foreign satellite internet firms and could help protect communication networks during a war.

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Space

Editorial | With its innovative rocket recovery, China makes strides in the space race

Science

Up to 100 gigawatts: China unveils its high-power microwave weapon arsenal

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Ukraine war

Russia deploys powerful jammers to disrupt Starlink in war against Ukraine’s drones

Kyiv’s ‘mid-strike’ drone campaign causes Russia problems – but the Russians are developing ways to counter the strikes.

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Ukrainians prepare a Zozulia mid-strike drone for flight, at an undisclosed location in southern Ukraine. Photo: Reuters
US-China tech war

SpaceX IPO set to lift industry in push for space-based AI, solar power: report

The company’s expected listing may boost overall satellite industry profit as it expands into more space-based applications.

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Technology

Opinion | For SpaceX, global dominance may not be written in the stars

Space is not an ordinary, commercial, open market but a strategic domain tied directly to sovereignty, security and industrial policy.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Could a prolonged conflict between the US and Iran threaten another vital link?

While countries grapple with the perils of a continuing oil shock, essential internet cables are also at risk.

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A high-angle satellite view showing the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the rugged desert topography of the Middle East. Photo: Getty Images
Science

Will the future world order be determined by who controls low Earth orbit?

Amid Starlink’s ability to service conflict zones, Chinese article warns of ‘new form of power’ to allow or cut connectivity in real time.

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TikTok

From ‘probing minds’ to verified account: how Musk’s stance on TikTok shifted

The billionaire’s surprising return to TikTok reveals his evolving tech diplomacy, with his account quickly gaining 120,000 followers.

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India

‘There is a lot of anxiety’: Indian sailors stranded off Iran just want to go home

About 23,000 Indians work on merchant, harbour and offshore vessels across ‌the Gulf region, and their safety has become a big issue at home.

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An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Science

China boosts science budget: is it listening to everything Elon Musk says?

Beijing says greater allocation reflects importance of science and tech self-reliance in driving China’s economy and its rivalry with the US.

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Beijing’s draft budget announcement shows it is positioning frontiers such as satellite internet as China’s future industries. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

US must be able to ‘turn around and punch’ as China boosts satellites: general

Head of US Space Force Combat Forces Command also highlights spaceplanes as area of increasing competition with China.

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Space

Opinion | How US-China space race is blurring line between civilian and military

While the private sector seeks the next trillion-dollar breakthrough, national governments race to secure the orbital assets that now underpin modern deterrence.

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Espionage

2 Chinese in France suspected of spying from Airbnb are under investigation

The Chinese nationals and two others were arrested on Wednesday in an alleged spying case involving a satellite dish.

The flags of France and China. On Thursday, two Chinese nationals were placed under formal investigation in France. Photo: Reuters
France

France arrests 4 people, including 2 Chinese, for alleged spying

China’s foreign ministry responds, says it opposes ‘malicious slander and smear’ against ‍the country.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink satellites after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in February 2025. Photo: Reuters
SpaceX

Elon Musk merges xAI into SpaceX in record-setting deal

The deal is the biggest M&A transaction of all time, with a combined company valuation of US$1.25 trillion.

US-China relations

Can Musk’s Starship upend the strategic order? A Chinese think tank warns it may

Report warns the transporter could help the US military move troops and equipment in space and calls for a ‘proactive’ response.

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United States

Bezos’ Blue Origin to deploy thousands of satellites to rival Musk’s Starlink

The TeraWave plan coincides with a rush to build data centres in space that can meet the soaring demand for large-scale AI data processing.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off carrying Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet network satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in April 2025. Photo: Reauters
China Future Tech briefing

Aerospace | Chinese rivals to Musk’s Starlink wrestle with rocket constraints

The slow pace of Chinese rocket launches is hampering efforts to create alternatives to SpaceX’s Starlink and damping the government’s drive to pare reliance on US technology.

Iran

Iran signals fast trials and executions for detained protesters

As the death toll surpasses 2,500, Iran’s judiciary chief calls for fast action for suspects arrested over protests.

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Science

Chinese risk study finds space solar power stations could zap satellites

Beijing team finds that potential electrical discharges, though brief, could induce abnormal currents in spacecraft systems.

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Chinese researchers studying the risk of lasers in space say their findings will help guide safer parameters and the design of protective measures. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Iran

Iranians use Musk’s Starlink to pierce internet blackout during protests

Smuggled satellite terminals offer a high-risk lifeline as Iran’s protest death toll climbs.

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Cars burn in a street during a protest in Tehran on January 8. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Science

China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash risk

US Federal Communications Commission says it approved SpaceX to launch 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

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Science

SpaceX will move 4,400 satellites to a lower orbit after China cited safety risk

Starlink’s Michael Nicolls declares ‘significant reconfiguration’ to be coordinated with regulators, other operators and US Space Command.

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SCMP Highlights

China’s record hypergravity machine, Nepal’s ‘bride buying’ probe: 7 highlights

From Beijing defending Taiwan drills to a Chinese snack stall drawing crowds of support, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

A view of the core of the CHIEF1300. The latest CHIEF1900 was built by Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group and shipped to Zhejiang University last week for installation. Photo: Xinhua
Science

China warns satellites from Elon Musk’s Starlink are ‘safety and security’ risk

Beijing tells UN meeting of near misses involving SpaceX satellites and warns they are being used by criminals and terrorists.

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SpaceX aims to build a constellation of more than 42,000 satellites when the Starlink network is complete. Photo: Reuters
SpaceX

Foreign ship gets penalty for using Starlink within Chinese waters, report says

Unidentified vessel was found using ‘satellite communication device manufactured by a foreign company’ during inspection at Ningbo port.

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SCMP Highlights

Chaos at Hong Kong Palace Museum, Japan’s tourism debacle: 5 weekend reads

From Malaysian state’s political fight to Chinese team simulating electronic warfare, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

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