The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition.

SpaceX and xAI are combining to pursue the development of orbital data centers.

SpaceX acquired xAI.

xAI develops artificial intelligence technologies and operates the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Elon Musk holds a majority stake in both SpaceX and xAI.

The fusion of artificial intelligence and space infrastructure could enable AI-native satellites, real-time processing closer to space sensors, and solar-based computing beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

SpaceX is considering an initial public offering with a contemplated valuation of $1.25 trillion.

SpaceX filed plans with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for a constellation of up to one million satellites intended to operate as orbital data centers.

The acquisition of xAI by SpaceX was announced in a statement distributed on February 2.

Roberto Formaro is the director of the Engineering and Technologies Directorate at ASI.

The project aims to bring to Italy a technology for ultra-stable optical benches that does not currently exist domestically and that forces satellite telescope manufacturers to rely on specialty materials from a few international suppliers.

Leonardo will contribute application requirements, technology validation, and ongoing technical support to the Bercella-led program.

In the first phase, Bercella will qualify in Italy materials, processes, and production capabilities that are currently limited to a few European players and meet standards required by next-generation optical payloads.

The ASI funding enables Bercella to develop autonomous production capabilities for ultra-stable optical benches and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

Massimo Bercella is the CEO of Bercella.

Bercella will serve as Prime Contractor for the program with support from Leonardo.

In the second phase, the program will research and experiment with new resins and composite materials, prioritizing Italian suppliers to develop more performant, efficient, and sustainable solutions.

The program is intended to build a national supply chain capable of supporting increasing production volumes and contributing high value-added products to European space programs.

Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) selected Bercella to lead a program to develop in Italy ultra-stable optical benches for Earth observation telescopes.

The program is organized in two phases: alignment to the international state of the art and research and development of innovative materials.

The ASI-funded project has a total value of 3.5 million euros and a duration of two years.

Link 16 is a tactical datalink communication system used by the U.S., NATO, and coalition forces to transmit and exchange real-time situational awareness data.

Atombeam will work to improve the backhaul capabilities and performance of Link 16 terminals with a software-only solution.

Retired Rear Admiral C. D. Becker is a former commander of the Naval Information Warfare Command, a former Program Executive Officer for C4I, and a member of Atombeam’s board.

The award to Atombeam is an expansion of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant.

Atombeam demonstrated Neurpac to the Space Development Agency and reduced Link 16 data streams over military satellites by 86% to 89% while increasing available bandwidth by a factor of seven to nine.

Under the expanded contract, Atombeam will test Neurpac over the Space Development Agency’s satellite network and will test Link 16 data.

Atombeam received an expanded contract from the Space Development Agency for the company’s Neurpac technology to improve the data transmission capabilities of Link 16.

The Space Development Agency conducted Link 16 demonstrations with Tranche 0 satellites in the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture for both space-to-ground and space-to-aircraft carrier scenarios.

Neurpac is an AI and machine learning technology that generates codewords to provide more efficient data transmission from the edge to the cloud and to reduce data size.

The contract extension is worth $776,000 and brings the total contract value to just under $1.98 million.

Judge Loren Smith accepted York’s motion and formally dismissed the case on January 30 with prejudice.

Both York and Apex Space are eager to move past the legal challenge.

York alleged that the Phase II SBIR contract was an improper use of the SBIR program because it was not awarded to develop new technology and violated recent Trump administration orders to rely on open competitions when technology is available commercially.

York filed a motion asking the court to dismiss its protest on January 28.

In February 2025, the $45.9 million Phase II SBIR contract was awarded to Apex Space.

Apex Space continued work on the Phase II SBIR contract during the legal proceedings.

York filed a complaint in June in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims arguing it should have been able to compete for a Space Systems Command $45.9 million Phase II SBIR contract to build multiple multi-orbit satellites.

York went public on the New York Stock Exchange on January 29.

York ended its protest of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract awarded to Apex Space.

Pete Hegseth’s 'Arsenal of Freedom' tour calls for a new era of American space dominance to counter rapid technological advancements by Russia and China.

The Department of Defense aims to diversify the defense industrial base and mitigate reliance on a limited number of providers.

NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 is a more commercial-like acquisition tier designed to integrate newer rockets from Blue Origin and Rocket Lab alongside established incumbents.

The Pentagon is pushing for three viable domestic heavy-lift providers and is focusing in 2026 on certification of Blue Origin’s New Glenn and Rocket Lab’s Neutron.

The Department of Defense views space as the 'ultimate high ground' essential for military operations in every other theater.

Achieving full operational capability for New Glenn and Neutron is central to the Department of Defense’s Sovereign Space Resilience strategy.

The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act codified Pentagon acquisition reforms that eliminate dozens of committees and establish empowered Portfolio Acquisition Executives with authority to reallocate funds and accelerate program timelines.

The National Security Space Launch Phase 3 program uses a dual-lane approach to encourage market entry for emerging launch providers.

The 'Transforming the Warfighting Acquisition System' strategy shifts procurement emphasis from lowest-cost toward best-value and price competition to enable iterative innovation similar to the private sector.

On February 2, 2026 U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered a policy address at Blue Origin’s Rocket Factory in Merritt Island, Florida that marked an expansion of the Department of Defense’s acquisition reforms into the space domain.