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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 was rolled out in Ukraine in 2022 to replace internet and communication networks damaged by Russia’s invasion of the country, quickly becoming a critical tool for both civilian and military connectivity. Photo: Shutterstock
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

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India

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

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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.

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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SpaceX is working to develop the Starship reusable spacecraft. Photo: Reuters
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

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.

Anthropoid coffins are among the artefacts being displayed at Hong Kong Palace Museum. Photo: Sam Tsang
Myanmar

Myanmar junta raids scam hub powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink

Troops seized 30 illegal Starlink sets and found 2,200 workers in the notorious KK Park, central to a US$37 billion regional fraud wave.

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The KK Park complex in Myanmar’s eastern Myawaddy township, as pictured from Mae Sot district in Thailand. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

Chinese experts create ‘storm eye’, China’s rocket woes: 7 science highlights

From Chinese scientists creating a ‘storm eye’ to a new gene-editing tool, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

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