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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.
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
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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Science

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

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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

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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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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Illustration: Craig Stephens
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.

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.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida in February 2025. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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Iranian security forces watch over a pro-government rally in Tehran on Monday. Photo: Getty Images via TNS
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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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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Starlink says taking its satellites to a lower orbit this year will allow a more than 80 per cent cut to ballistic decay time. Photo: TNS
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.

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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SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service Starlink is seen as a national security threat by Beijing and does not have a licence to operate in China. Photo: SpaceX
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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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.

The “Darwin Monkey” is made up of 960 Darwin 3 brain-inspired computing chips creating over 100 billion synapses. Photo: Handout
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