Spacex is on its way to having more money than NASA. He has succeeded, in part, because he does not pay taxes

A few weeks ago, Elon Musk made public that Spacex’s income They were on their way to exceed NASA’s annual budgeta milestone that showed the spectacular commercial success of Starlink. Now, an investigation of the New York Times has revealed the least known face of that success: Spacex has been not paying taxes for more than 20 years. The other type of engineering that Spacex makes. Although it is not obliged to present results, because it does not quote on the stock exchange, the company’s internal documents show that Spacex accumulated almost 5.4 billion dollars in tax losses Until the end of 2021. Thanks to US fiscal legislation, these losses can be used to compensate for future benefits, which in practice means that Elon Musk’s company has avoided the payment of billions of dollars in federal taxes on income. The situation is even more favorable for Spacex since 2017 for a change introduced during the first presidency of Donald Trump, which eliminated the 20 -year limit for the use of tax losses. This allows Spacex to apply almost 3,000 million dollars of its losses against future benefits indefinitely. A company that grew with public money. The paradox that is most commented on these days in the American press is that Spacex owes a good part of its growth to NASA contracts and the United States Department of Defense, among other government agencies. Some of these contracts were crucial at the beginning of Spacex. According to an analysis of Washington PostElon Musk companies have received at least 38,000 million dollars in public contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits in the last two decades. In the case of Spacex, which was founded in 2000, almost all its income came from federal contracts until the arrival of Starlink. In 2020, almost 84% of its income, a figure that in 2021 stood at 76%. The golden eggs. With Starlink, the SpaceX business is more buoyant than ever. The satellite Internet network has more than 6 million subscribers and has become the main source of income of the company, surpassing the rocket division. Thanks to Starlink, Spacex plans to enter 15.5 billion dollars in 2025, a figure that is dangerously approaching the annual NASA budget, which by 2026 is estimated at 18.8 billion. This growth has triggered the SpaceX assessment up to 350,000 million dollars, making it the largest non -quoted company in the United States. But you can still use those tax losses to be exempt from paying taxes.

Jeff Bezos’s space company has advanced Spacex in a key milestone to go to the moon and Mars: zero evaporation

One of the biggest obstacles to a mission to Mars is not the distance or travel time. It is the fuel. To send a manned ship, NASA estimates that dozens of Cryogenic propellant tons stored for weeks or months. But those liquids do not behave like on earth: in a vacuum, exposed to heat and without gravity, They are slowly evaporating even if the tank is perfectly sealed. That phenomenon, known as Boil-offforces to release the generated gas so that the pressure does not rise dangerously inside the tank. It is a constant loss that, in a long -term mission, can mean tons of tons of fuel lying to space. Therefore, developing tanks capable of preserving this propellant at safe pressure and without losses, which is known as zero evaporation technology, has become a technical requirement to go beyond the low orbit. Zero evaporation: the technical challenge that separates the orbit low from the rest of the solar system Blue Origin claims to have taken an important step To solve that problem. Jeff Bezos’ company has managed to maintain liquid oxygen and hydrogen in stable conditions, without evaporation, using Hardware flight prototype In earth tests (Blue Origin has not detailed whether it is vacuum thermal cameras or conventional banks). Dave clean announced itits CEO, as part of the lunar permanence program, stating that they already meet all the objectives set by NASA in this area. Click to see the publication in x The result is not less: we talk about conserving hydrogen at 20 Kelvin and oxygen to 90 Kelvin, two extreme temperatures, during sustained periods. This makes Blue Origin – which we know – the first private company that publicly and explicitly communicates a zero evaporation condition in cryogenic propelants. In the absence of this technology to vuele and demonstrate in orbit, what is achieved represents the most tangible advance so far towards tanks capable of storing liquid fuel without losses, a key piece to operate ships on the moon or Mars. Storing loss without space is not just a matter of good materials. It is a constant battle against physics. Even the best thermal insulation ends up giving in. Therefore, the path to zero evaporation goes through active solutions that cool the deposit from within. NASA has investigated two: The sub -housing jet and microgotes injectiontwo methods that allow to reduce the steam temperature and prevent internal pressure. Blue Origin has not detailed which of the two uses, but the logic points to the sub -deputy jet, The only tested method So far in microgravity by NASA. It consists of directing a very cold liquid jet where the steam is accumulated. When condensing it, it is avoided that the pressure rises and it is not necessary to release gas. It is a technologically complex system, but so far it has demonstrated greater efficacy and stability in test conditions. Long before Blue Origin announced its advance, NASA had already tested these systems In space. The ZBOT program, deployed aboard the International Space Station, allowed us to observe how a microgravity propellant tank behaves. One of its main discoveries was that the Interaction between the sub -housing jet and steam It does not follow the classic rules we know on earth. The Blue Origin cryogenic system during the ground tests of its zero evaporation technology In ZBOT-1, not only was it possible to control internal pressure with active mixture. Unexpected phenomena were also detected as cavitation, sudden formation of bubbles or flow alterations that could affect the stability of the system. That information – obtained with sensors, cameras and laser measurement systems – has served several companies, including Blue Origin, to design tanks capable of functioning stable in extreme environments. Spacex has not yet announced a zero evaporation solution as such. But that It does not mean that I am not working on it. In collaboration with NASA, The company has developed A cryogenic architecture oriented to reduced evaporation, which has already been validated in flight. In March 2025Starship made a Internal transfer of liquid oxygen in spacedemonstrating that he could move fuel and control his pressure without losing it excessively. NASA Artistic Recreation Although Spacex and Blue Origin are addressing the same general challenge – almaceinar propelants in space without losses – do not work with the same fuels or face the same level of thermal difficulty. Spacex uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen, while Blue Origin works with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. That difference is key. Liquid hydrogen must be maintained to one much lower temperature than that of methane or even that of oxygen. In addition, hydrogen is less dense, more prone to escape and much more difficult to isolate. Achieving zero evaporation conditions with hydrogen is therefore a major technical challenge. The advance announced by Blue Origin is not only significant by the result, but by the type of fuel with which it has achieved it. When talking about going to Mars, you often think of rockets, habitats or space costumes. But one of the most serious bottleneck is in something much more basic: conserve fuel. In a long -lasting mission, the propellant is not used at once. You have to store it, transfer it and, many times, keep it operational for weeks without being lost by evaporation. That makes zero evaporation technology a key piece for both future interplanetary missions and missions Artemis To the moon. Images | Blue Origin (1, 2) | POT | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | Spain is very excited about the three eclipses that will arrive between 2026 and 2028. The government is worried

What Spacex has achieved with Starship is incredible. The only problem is that he has done it at the expense of the health of his employees

Spacex has no paragon. The speed at which it assembles its rockets, the tests and itera in its design is far from the competition. But it comes with a hidden cost: a rate of injuries that multiplies by four of its rivals and reminds the security figures of 30 years ago. Context. Starbase is the Starship operations basethe place where the Aerospace Company of Elon Musk manufactures and proves the gigantic Rocket Starship with the ambition to launch thousands of ships to Mars in the coming decades. Although the program has achieved unthinkable technological feats, its frantic rhythm and its vertiginous deadlines are having a high human cost, especially if the risks assumed by Spacex are compared with the usual caution of the space industry. Six times more work accidents. Official data analyzed by Techcrunch They reveal that Starbase suffers six times more occupational accidents than the industry average, which makes it the rocket factory with the highest risk of injury in the United States. The Spacex headquarters registered a rate of injuries that multiplies by four of its rivals and resembles the figures of 30 years ago, when the security protocols were more lax. The figures are public. They leave The database of the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and use a standardized metric: the total rate of registrable incidents (TRIR), which calculates the number of injuries in one year per 100 full -time workers. Are public data that Spacex is obliged to report. And they are overwhelming. Starbase’s trir in 2023 was 5.9. That is, for every 100 employees, there were almost six recordable injuries. In comparison, the average of the space vehicle manufacturing sector was 0.7. And the average of the entire space sector was 1.6. A 30 -year setback. Although Starbase’s trir improved 4.27 in 2024, it is still a fact comparable to that of the sector 30 years ago. In 1994, the average trir was 4.2. In Starbase, with 2,690 employees in 2024, more than four injuries per 100 employees was 3,558 days of work with restrictions and 656 days of low labor. Anomalous even within Spacex. Starbase is not only a black point compared to the rest of the industry, but also within Spacex itself. None of the company’s facilities approaches the figures in southeastern Texas, with the exception of risky rocket recovery operations on the high seas (with a 7.6 trir). While Starbase registered 4.27 in 2024, the Falcon rocket factory in Hawthorne (California) recorded 1.43. A figure closer to that of competitors such as Blue Origin (a 1.09 in its Florida factory) or United Launch Alliance (1.12 in his Alabama factory). On the other hand, Starlink Terminal Factory in Bastrop registered 3.49, the Redmond satellit factory registered 2.89, the McGregor engines factory recorded a 2.48. Move fast and break things. Elon Musk’s philosophy works when applied to rockets, but squeaks when applied to the safety of his workers. What does Musk say? That the traditional media lie. Or at least that said when Reuters published that Spacex had not declared injuries that included amputations, crushed members and a death For a burst of wind that launched a worker from a truck. What does NASA say? NASA contracts with Spacex They include specific clauses that would allow the agency to intervene in case of a “serious security violation”, as a “repeated” sanction by the OSHA. The high trir rate, alone, is not enough to activate these clauses. Image | Spacex In Xataka | Starbase residents voted to be the city of Spacex. Now a letter has reached the right to their property

The US and Spacex wanted to revolutionize the delivery of weapons anywhere in the world. A tropical bird had other plans

Starship is called to be the ship-cohete that Put humanity on Marsbut years ago he caught the attention of Pentagon For something much more earthly: transport military merchandise from one point to another on earth. But what they expected from Spacex And the Pentagon was an enemy who put those plans in check. Tropical birds. Revolutionizing military logistics. After a series of incidents, in 2024 we witnessed something unprecedented. He Starship propeller rocket was intercepted with millimeter accuracy by a mechanical arm. This, which seems little thing, is the starting gun for the revolution of space missions because it promises to reduce costs and shorten times because the rockets are no longer disposable between missions. Long before achievement, in 2021, the Pentagon already showed interest in these capabilities. The United States Air Force had an internal program called ‘Rocket Cargo‘With an ambitious objective, but easy to explain: transport huge amounts of military load from one point to another on the planet in a matter of minutes. Suspense. We are talking about the ability to deliver up to 150 tons of load anywhere on Earth in a maximum time of 90 minutes, which would imply an unprecedented and unprecedented deployment, as well as A tremendous strategic advantage. However, something like this requires evidence beyond those that Spacex itself is doing with its ship-cohete, and the idea of the Air Force was to start trying these rockets in a Pacific Atolón. It is not going to be. How can we read in Reuterson that remote island at 1,300 kilometers southwest of Hawaii, at least 14 species of tropical birds live. And, according to biologists, Spacex and Air Force tests would damage these species that nest in the area. Atoll location And relocation. This atoll, called Johnstonhas only 2.6 square kilometers and is part of the National Marine Monument of the remote Pacific Islands, so, as a source of the Air Force confirmed to the American military magazine ‘Stars and Stripes’, they will have to look for a new ‘patio’ of testing. According to the FFAA spokesman to the American magazine, they are already “exploring alternative places to develop the program”. Mistreating atolls. It is not the first time That the activities of the Musk company damages the flora and fauna of a place. It happened in Boca Chica, Texas, in 2023, when an explosion ended both with nests and coastal bird eggs, which caused legal problems to the company. Problems that Musk reacted with his particular and curious sense of humor, stating that he would stop eating tortillas for a week to compensate. And the truth is that this is a small victory for the tropical birds of the Johnson atolion, since the atolls of the quadrant and their fauna did not have so much luck in the pastwhen they were chosen as Objective for nuclear tests During the cold war, ending with entire islands of a plumazo and causing the Fear of nuclear radiation long before the Chernobyl accident. Images | United States Army Chemical Materials Agency, Steve Jurvetson, Tubs In Xataka | The US is leaving Ukraine without help, so Ukraine has proposed something to Europe: you give me the money, I manufacture my arms

Spacex has asked Mexico to stop invading its property and returns the starship pieces that fell into the country

The tension between Spacex and the Government of Mexico has climbed this week after explosion of a starship prototype of June 18. While the Mexican government investigates the remains that crossed the border as illegal pollution and studies possible demands, Elon Musk’s company says they are of its property and asks to stop hindering its recovery. Context. On the night of June 18, a stage of the Starship rocket suddenly exploded during a fuel load for a motor ignition test. The explosion destroyed the ship and spread fragments around Starbase. A few days later, the local media of Tamaulipas reported that part of the remains They had reached the beaches of La Burrita in Matamoroson the Mexican side of the border. There were gas tanks, steel sheets and aluminum parts. Civil Protection, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Environment of Mexico went to the place to remove the remains and take water, sand and vegetation samples for analysis. Mexican anger. The situation has ended up climbing this week until the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who described the remains of “pollution” and a possible violation of sovereignty and Mexican environmental legislation. According to Sheinbaum, his government will make “the necessary demands that have to be done” according to international laws. Spacex’s response. In one publication of xElon Musk’s company formally requested the Mexican government to return the remains of the rocket, arguing that they are of their property and that their attempts have been hindered. “Despite Spacex’s attempts to recover related remains (with the explosion), which are and remains tangible property of Spacex, these attempts have been hindered by unauthorized parts that invade (our) private property.” “They are not pollutants.” Spacex states that Starship materials do not represent “chemical, biological or toxicological risk.” And offers resources for cleaning. The company claims to be entitled to recover its property and asks Mexican authorities “local and federal assistance.” It is a shock of narratives. Mexico qualifies the incident as an environmental and security impact against Mexicans. Spacex frames it as a non -polluting private property recovery. Spacex embarked the ball into the neighbor’s house. The neighbor is angry and wants to sue. Image | D Wise, NSF

Spacex plays background with the new version of the rocket

The Starship 36 has flown through the air, in the worst sense. Spacex was preparing a second static ignition trial when a brutal explosion made all the windows in the metropolitan area of ​​Brownsville, Texas. What we know. On Thursday at 23:00, local time in Starbase, the ship that Spacex was preparing for Starship’s tenth flight exploded during the fuel load in a Massey’s test bench, which is how the test zone is known. It has not been to regret victims, since the area was clear for the test. But when the smoke column disappeared, Ship 36, which was going to fly at the end of the month, was no longer. It was seen and not seen. The NSF cameras They captured a sudden flash, followed by a large detonation and another giant just below. Since the ship exploded in the 10 minutes before the ignition test, Spacex had already loaded liquid oxygen and was starting to load liquid methane. The fuel deposits were approximately 10%, which hopefully reduced the scope of the damage. What we don’t know. Although the destruction of the ship is taken for granted, damage to the land infrastructure of Massey’s will not be clear until day. The worst news would be for the facilities to have been useless, which would considerably delay the starship 37 tests, which is already assembled and in the engine integration phase. He Spacex statement It only clarifies that the company is “actively working to ensure the test site” and that “there are no risks for residents of surrounding communities.” The program touches background. This is one of the most important setbacks for the Martian rocket of Spacex, which has touched the bottom after three consecutive launches of the Starship Block 2, the new version of the ship. Of the six second generation starship built: The first exploded during flight 7 for vibrations related to an unforeseen harmonic response in the lower zone of engines bay The second exploded during flight 8 for an unforeseen mixture of propellant during the ascent phase, which caused the explosion of an engine The third exploded during flight 9 for a leak that made him lose control of attitude during the suborbital trajectory, disintegrating himself in the reentry The fourth has exploited on land during the propellant load prior to a static ignition test in the test bench There are two Starship Block 2 to validate before Spacex passes to the third generation starship. The company has not yet been able to prove the satellite deployment due to explosions or, on flight 9, a failure in the door of the load bay. It also has delay with a series of demonstrations related to the thermal shield of the ship, which prevents the complete reuse of the rocket. Image | D Wise, NSF

Spacex has always been 10 years ahead of the competition. The problem is that in China that law no longer applies

The Falcon 9 rocket has turned 15 this week. In December they will do 10 years of their first landing. Eight ago that was first reused. More than 400 reusations later, Spacex still has no competition. But the competition will not arrive staggered, it will arrive suddenly and will do so from China. The Boyante China Space Industry He is living an authentic effervescence in the development of reusable rockets. Operations? Even none, but far from being projects on paper, there are already several companies that have successfully completed vertical take -off and landing tests with prototypes that mix technologies inspired by Falcon 9 with more modern ones, anticipating the entry into Starship service. These advances, which remind the first days of the Grasshopper and Starhopper Spacex prototypes, are not only aimed at deploying mega-constellations of Chinese satellites, but also to compete in the global release market. Assembly of astrophysic Daniel Marín (Eureka) with Chinese VTVL prototypes Space Epoch: This relatively young company (founded in 2019), hit the table on May 28, 2025. Its VTVL Yuanxingzhe 1 (YXZ-1) prototype, 4.2 meters in diameter and made of stainless steel, made a leap of 2.5 kilometers high, threatening controlled in the sea. According to Eureka, it was The first Chinese VTVL prototype to make controlled amelizer: He had no landing train and was designed to perch and sink slowly, a strategy that Space Epoch plans for recovery From the first stage of its orbital rocket Yuanxingzhe 1. Once operational, this rocket intends to place more than 10 tons in low orbit. The prototype is propelled by a longyun Ly-70 engine of methane and liquid oxygen. Landspace: One of the most advanced private, Landspace is developing the Zhuque-3a two -stage rocket of methane and liquid oxygen built in stainless steel, with a height of 76.6 meters, comparable to Falcon 9. Its VTVL prototype performed An impressive 10 -kilometer altitude In September 2024 (Eureka mentioned a second jump of the ZQ-3 VTVL-1 at this point on September 11, while other sources point to the end of August for a similar milestone). This flight included the first realer in flight of an engine during the descent in China, landing successfully. Landspace aspires to a first orbital launch of Zhuque-3 in 2025, with recovery of the first stage by 2026. ISPACE: Another private pioneer, Ispace, is working on its reusable Hyperbola-3 rocket. To do this, his Hyperbola-2y (SQX-2Y) test vehicle completed several VTVL jumps at the end of 2023: one of 178 meters in November and another of 343 meters in Decemberboth with successful landings. These trials were crucial to validate the technology of their Metallox engines and guidance systems. ISPACE plans the first flight of Hyperbola-3 by 2025 and the recovery of its first stage in 2026. Deep Blue Aerospace: This Nanjing-based company develops the Nebula-1 (Xingyun-1), a fluid oxygen rocket and oxygen. Already in May 2022, its demonstrator VTVL completed a 1 kilometer jump with successful landing. In September 2024, a major prototype tried a jump with greater altitude (between 5 and 10 km), But he suffered a hard landing due to a problem with thrust controlalthough the company considered that many objectives of the essay were met. Deep Blue Aerospace also has the Nebula-2 in its plans, a Heavy Class-class launcher 9. Sast (Shanghai Academy of SpaceFlight Technology): This state entity, part of CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), is leading government effort in reusable rockets. Its VTVL prototype, sometimes called Longxing 1 and associated with the future CZ-12A or CZ-12R (a reusable version of the CZ-12), has also made remarkable jumps. On June 23, 2024, this prototype, propelled by three longyun Ly-70 engines (the same as Space Epoch), reached 12 kilometers of altitude on a test flight from Jiuquan. Subsequently, on January 19, 2025, a second prototype tried an even more ambitious leap of 75 kilometers from Haiyang, but was lost during the flight. Galactic Energy: Known for its CERES-1 rocket, Galactic Energy is developing pallas-1, a fluid oxygen rocket and oxygen with a first reusable stage. Although he has not yet made a VTVL jump with a full rocket prototype, In August 2023 he carried out a vertical landing test using a reaction motor proof vehicle (nicknamed “Firebird”) to validate control algorithms. They expect the first orbital launch of Pallas-1 (in disposable mode) between the late 2025 and early 2026. Linkspace: It was the first Chinese private company to focus on reusable rockets. Already in August 2019, its RLV-T5 prototype made a 300-meter leap with successful landing, a pioneering milestone for Chinese startups. Although its subsequent progress has been slower compared to its competitors, its initial role was fundamental. Space Pioneer: This company is developing the Tianlong-3, a Falcon 9 class launcher designed from the beginning for reuse. Although he has not yet performed a VTVL test, the company has advanced in the construction and proof of the Tianhuo-12 engines and the first stage of the rocket. Its first orbital launch is expected between 2024 and 2025 (without attempted recovery on the first flight), closely followed by VTVL landing tests. Vertical landings ‘Made in China’ The list does not end there, which draws a trend: China not only wants to match Spacex’s reuse capacity, but is cultivating a robust ecosystem to compete directly with Elon Musk’s company. The objectives: reduce launch costs, increase cadence for the deployment of new mega-constellations (Like Guowang, the Chinese answer to Starlink) and, ultimately, cut distances with the company that is launching 80% of the total mass that is put into orbit. So, although Spacex remains the indisputable reference in the reuse of orbital rockets, the question is no longer whether it will have a serious rival in China, but which of this growing legion of contenders, in addition to the CASC itself, will be the first to consistently replicate the feat of landing and reuse orbital rockets as something routine. The race is in full swing, and landing platforms on land and sea … Read more

In case the chips war did not have enough contestants, a new company has joined the race: Spacex

Spacex does everything big. Last year he opened in Bastrop, a small town in Texas (USA), The manufacturing plant of largest printed circuit plates in the country. The company of the company led by Elon Musk consists in producing all components, or, at least, most of them, involved in the manufacture of their satellites For the Starlink Network. This strategy will allow Spacex to save costs and reduce its dependence on the distribution chain. However, this is just the beginning of the path you will travel. And is that, according to Digitimes Asiathis company plans to expand its Bastrop facilities with the purpose of tuning the equipment you need to package semiconductors. Before moving forward we are interested in reviewing what the two concepts are in which we have just inquired. A printed circuit plate or PCB for its English denomination (Printed Circuit Board) It is a sheet manufactured in an insulating material, such as fiberglass, which contains on its surface the copper tracks through which electricity will circulate in an integrated circuit or electronic component. On the other hand, Chips packaging It is the process that seeks to protect the integrated circuit by introducing it into an encapsulated or protective housing. In addition, it incorporates the necessary connections to install it into a printed circuit plate and allow it to communicate with other electronic components. Spacex’s irruption in the integrated circuit industry is underway The administration led by Donald Trump has proposed to develop the semiconductor industry as much as necessary for the US to not depend on any other country. Currently this nation Buy 92% from its avant -garde semiconductors to TSMC in Taiwan. And the US government intends to manufacture 28% of avant -garde chips of the planet in 2032 considering as advanced integrated circuits those produced with a more sophisticated integration technology than that of 10 Nm. Currently the chips that Spacex uses are packaged by stmicroelectronics and innolux The steps that Spacex is taking support the strategy that the US government is deploying, but, as I mentioned a few lines above, first of all they pursue save costs and minimize its current dependence on the distribution chain. At the moment Most of the chips That this company from Elon Musk uses in the manufacture of its satellites are packaged by the Franco-Cabalian company Stmicroelectronics and the Taiwanese innolux. Presumably when the expansion of the Bastrop Plant is a list of the packaging will be commissioned by Spacex itself. From that moment on, this company will manufacture its own PCB and package its integrated circuits, so its next logical movement will be in all likelihood to build a semiconductor manufacturing plant. The SpaceX satellite network currently brings together about 7,700 devices in orbit, and this company intends to launch over the next few years 32,000 more satellites with the purpose of giving coverage to the entire planet. In addition, some of these satellites are used by the US government, so controlling the entire production chain of these devices will allow Spacex to optimize the performance of their business and guarantee the safety and integrity of its satellite network. More information | Digitimes Asia In Xataka | China has the CPU ARM for faster servers on the planet. It is from Alibaba and its performance is supported by IEEE

Starlink’s growth is so brutal that Spacex is one year after overcoming NASA’s annual budget

Elon Musk became the richest man in the world thanks to Tesla, but his new golden egg chicken It’s called Starlink. The tycoon has given credibility to something that It had been commenting Since the White House announced NASA’s historic cuts: Spacex’s income is one year after overcoming the annual budget of the planet’s largest space agency. More money than NASA. Elon Musk He just put the data On the table: “Spacex’s income for its commercial activities in space will exceed NASA’s total budget next year.” Spacex is a private company controlled by Musk itself, so it is not obliged to publicly present its results. However, we now know that it plans to enter 15.5 billion dollars in 2025. If approved in Congress, NASA’s annual budget for 2026 will be 18.8 billion dollars, 24% less than the previous year. The whole mountain is Starlink. Spacex receives NASA money to transport astronauts to the International Space Station or develop space programs such as the lunar Starship, but in 2025, that transaction has been “only” 1.1 billion dollars. Most of what Spacex earns comes from Starlink, although the amount of NASA contracts will rise to 1,747 million dollars in 2026, adding the Moon To Mars program. Starlink has more than 5 million customers, a figure that has been duplicating from year to year. The bulk of the business are residential customers, but satellite Internet service has been diversifying with agreements in the maritime sector (mercantile vessels and cruises), the aviation sector (Chárter operators and commercial airlines), the operators (Direct-to-Cell) and the government sector (especially The Starshield constellation of the number). The perpetual movement machine. Starlink’s success would not be possible without Spacex’s launching capacitywhich continues to be beating reuse records with its Falcon 9. The company celebrated its 500 mission last night. The propeller that has taken and landed the most times has done it 28 times, 17 of them to put Starlink satellites in orbit. The integration of the company is totally vertical. Spacex manufactures rockets, satellites and terminals. And innovation is constant. At the end of May, a Falcon 9 deployed 29 Starlink v2 mini optimized satellites225 kg lighter than previous versions and with a bandwidth of 96 Gbps. How much Spacex is worth. With more than 7,000 active satellites in orbit, an incomparable number of any other constellation, Starlink has triggered the assessment of Spacex at stratospheric levels. The most recent valuation is 350,000 million dollars, which makes it the company not quoted in the largest stock market in the United States. Taking into account that Spacex Starlink’s benefits reinvested on the Starship programIt is worth asking who will lead the space exploration of the United States in the coming years, if NASA or Elon Musk’s company. Image | Spacex In Xataka | Spacex has launched 8,000 Starlink satellites in five years, but they are not enough. And we are beginning to understand why

Starbase residents voted to be the city of Spacex. Now a letter has reached the right to their property

In May, the residents of the small community that surrounded the SpaceX headquarters in Boca Chica, southeast of Texas, carried out A historical vote. An overwhelming mass was done in favor of constituting the city of Starbase, which most or less became that Elon Musk’s company became “almost” owner of the enclave, with levels of autonomy Never seen until now. That’s why, The letter That has just arrived at residents has been a surprise. Urban experiment. The transformation of the former Texano of Boca Chica village in the corporate city of Starbase represents much more than a simple name change. Conceived as the epicenter of Spacex’s space operations and, as we said, vmostly For a large -compound population for company employees, Starbase has now moved to a new phase of territorial reorganization. The problem. Than a disseminated memorandum by him city ​​administratorKent Myers, warns many residents who could “lose the right to continue using their property for current use” due to a rezoning proposal that will be debated on June 23. He Document is explicit: Those who have land in the affected area could be forced to modify or abandon them if they do not conform to the new urban plan. The city plans to become a mixed area of ​​residences, offices and services, although in practice the development model is almost exclusively oriented to support the Spacex expansion and its launch facilities. City-business. They counted in Fortune That the Starbase Urban Project recovers, with technologically sophisticated, but politically disturbing features, the model of the old ones “Company Towns“North American: cities where the owner company was also the employer, regulator and in many sovereign spaces of space. In fact, the current mayor, Robert Peden12 -year -old veteran in Spacex, and the majority of the electorate It is composed of company workers. This structure creates a fusion between civil governance and corporate objectives, where the public interest is subordinated to the industrial plan of a single entity. In this context, key decisions such as rezoning, mobility restrictions or access to common goods such as beaches are no longer settled in a Public Square open, but within the perimeter of a private logic protected by local legal structures. Public space restriction. One of the most visible consequences of Spacex’s advance in Starbase has been the progressive Restriction of access to Boca Chica Beacha coastal strip of great environmental and spiritual value, especially for the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe. With the argument of guaranteeing security during the releases, the restrictions have been multiplied, and recently the Texas Senate approved legislation which allows local authorities to close the beach during the week and limit their use during weekends. Ecological organizations They have denounced That, under the security pretext, a “system designed to give them a de facto private beach is consolidating.” The appropriation of a public good for corporate purposes awakens criticism and calls into question the compatibility between economic investment promises and collective rights. Global implications. It is the last of the legs that appears with the drift that is taking the case of Starbase. Its consolidation not only constitutes a local experiment, but also A possible model For future business colonies with functional sovereignty aspirations. Fortune explained that if a coastal settlement can be transformed into A corporate municipality With the right to issue land use, condition the permanence of non -affiliated residents and manage public infrastructure Like a beachdoors are also opened to an advanced form of territorial privatization. In a world where megacorporations such as Spacex, Tesla or X (yes, all of Musk) concentrate each time More economic power And symbolic, Starbase could serve General trial For similar projects in other regions with lax regulations. If you want also and put to think about Musk keyif the promise is that these cities are platforms for interplanetary expansion, the Texan experience suggests that, before conquering Mars, the conquest can begin with the political geography of the Earth. Image | Alexander Hatley In Xataka | Texas has a new city. Until a few days ago, it was only Spacex’s base in Boca Chica In Xataka | Leaving California is just the first step: Spacex has started the procedures to create an independent city in Texas

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