Mustafa Bilal, Author at SpaceNews https://spacenews.com Covering the business and politics of space Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:42:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-SN_forza_star-32x32.png Mustafa Bilal, Author at SpaceNews https://spacenews.com 32 32 80681979 Starlink and the unravelling of digital sovereignty https://spacenews.com/starlink-and-the-unravelling-of-digital-sovereignty/ https://spacenews.com/starlink-and-the-unravelling-of-digital-sovereignty/#respond Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=569664 Wind sweeps dust across across southeastern Iran in January 2025. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison

In January 2026, Iranian authorities shut down landline and mobile telecommunications infrastructure in the country to clamp down on coordinated protests. Starlink terminals, which were discreetly mounted on rooftops, helped […]

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]]> https://spacenews.com/starlink-and-the-unravelling-of-digital-sovereignty/feed/ 0 569664 The European space industry’s big merger: lessons for emerging space nations https://spacenews.com/the-european-space-industrys-big-merger-lessons-for-emerging-space-nations/ https://spacenews.com/the-european-space-industrys-big-merger-lessons-for-emerging-space-nations/#respond Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=564013 A satellite image of Europe. Credit: European Defence Agency.

The Oct. 23 announcement that Airbus, Thales and Leonardo will merge their satellite operations was a historic development for the European space industry. The plan aims to establish a new […]

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]]> https://spacenews.com/the-european-space-industrys-big-merger-lessons-for-emerging-space-nations/feed/ 0 564013 Resources, reactors and rivalries will decide the new moon race https://spacenews.com/resources-reactors-and-rivalries-will-decide-the-new-moon-race/ https://spacenews.com/resources-reactors-and-rivalries-will-decide-the-new-moon-race/#respond Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=558408 Artwork depicting lunar mining operations for Helium-3 involving harvesters, a solar power plant, rovers and return launchers. Credit: Interlune

A new race to the moon is underway; not merely to erect flags, but to prospect for and extract water and helium-3, establish nuclear power plants and capitalize on the […]

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]]> https://spacenews.com/resources-reactors-and-rivalries-will-decide-the-new-moon-race/feed/ 0 558408 The advent of astropolitical alliances https://spacenews.com/advent-astropolitical-alliances/ https://spacenews.com/advent-astropolitical-alliances/#respond Mon, 08 Jan 2024 15:30:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=225285 Signatories of the Artemis Accords. Credit: NASA

As the Artemis Accords and China's ILRS Initiative grow in signatories, more and more countries may be forced to pick a side.

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