Why is Ukraine so reliant on Starlink and can Europe plug the gap? Ukraine is in desperate need of a new satellite internet service, but a fast and reliable alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink network simply doesn't exist - yet. Last week's sudden slowdown of the service in Ukraine, which affected Kyiv's ability to defend itself from Russian attacks, has shown how vulnerable the country can be, and sharply increased Europe's urgency to have its own military-grade satellite network. There are a few alternatives, but they are all lagging behind Starlink, which is the world's largest satellite constellation. France's Eutelsat, with its OneWeb internet service, is the main alternative - but it only has about 600 active satellites, compared to Starlink's 10,000-plus.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. SpaceX and Tesla, both led by Elon Musk, may combine in a historic merger. See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Elon Musk says SpaceX and Tesla are considering a tie-up that could become the largest corporate merger ever, bringing rockets, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence under one roof. The goal would be to combine SpaceX's computing, as well as Starlink and AI capabilities with Tesla's robotaxis, autonomous-driving plans and robots.

Wall Street has projected Tesla to report $27.9bn in revenues. Wall Street has projected Tesla to report $27.9bn in revenues. Musk says'there's a lot of merit' to potential merger that would require approval of 50% of all Tesla shareholders, but he declined to elaborate Investors were paying close attention to Tesla's third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday afternoon, after chief executive Elon Musk floated the idea of merging the car company with his rocket and AI company, SpaceX. But they didn't glean further information after the company announced there would be no questions on the matter. "With regard to a potential merger with SpaceX, I think I said everything that should be said yesterday," Musk, the CEO of both companies, said on Tesla's earnings call.

SpaceX and Tesla have formed special committees to discuss the possibility of a merger, Elon Musk has revealed during the former's earnings call for the third quarter of 2026. Musk, who serves as CEO for both companies, said the committees were formed at the request of shareholders. The committees are made up of independent directors from SpaceX and Tesla. Musk himself can't be part of the discussions, as someone who's considered a "conflicted party," along with his brother Kimbal Musk. Based on the corporate information listed on the companies' websites, Tesla has seven independent directors, while SpaceX has six. However, Ira Ehrenpreis, the chairperson for Tesla's Compensation and Nominating and Governance committees, also joined SpaceX's board in February.

Elon Musk has revealed that SpaceX and Tesla are exploring a possible merger, a tie-up that would create a corporate colossus worth more than $3 trillion. Musk said on Tuesday that his two largest companies had established special committees to explore a merger. "They've got to come up with something, and then that's got to be put to the shareholders as a vote," Musk said on a SpaceX earnings call. Musk, the world's richest man with a net worth of more than $900bn, said that a merger would need to clear the "high hurdle" of a 50 percent vote among Tesla shareholders "Some people out there assume that a SpaceX and Tesla merger is a certainty, and I think that would be overstating it," Musk said. "Do I think it would be a good idea? But at the end of the day, the shareholders have to be supportive of this."

Anthropic and Elon Musk's SpaceX have committed billions of dollars in stocks to benefit the public all while dodging accountability. The Hyperloop track failed to materialize and was dismantled in 2022. Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Elon Musk's SpaceX and AI giant Anthropic have said they will give billions of dollars in shares to the public as general sentiment around the technology's economic and societal consequences continues to plummet. "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America," Musk posted on X on Monday.

Getting Technical with Mashable Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus Trending Now In My Bag Mashable @Home Top creators, ranked Creator Playbook All Series Elon Musk says he'll give every kid in America a SpaceX share in 2027 Musk claims he will donate the shares through'Trump accounts.' Matt Binder joined Mashable's tech vertical in 2018, where he covers social media, tech policy, cybersecurity, online scams, cryptocurrency, AI, creator news, weird tech, and other related tech beats. Elon Musk claims he will donate one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the U.S. in 2027. Will your child become a SpaceX shareholder? They will if Elon Musk lives up to his promise -- something he doesn't have a very good track record of doing.

The tech is "expected to enhance early detection, tracking, suppression efficiency, and firefighter safety." Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. During the Sand Creek Fire, which has burned since the start of August in southwestern Montana, difficult terrain and fire-weakened trees posed hazards to crews searching for areas still smoldering on steep slopes after the blaze passed. So instead of relying only on firefighters to find hidden embers, fire managers used unmanned aircraft to seek out heat sources. The operation is part of a broader technological shift underway in wildfire response.

Mashable Selects Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more In My Bag Look Up Creator Playbook Say More AI at School Safety Net Versus Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age All Series It didn't circle Earth six times as planned. Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds . Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling.

Mashable Selects Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more In My Bag Look Up Creator Playbook Say More AI at School Safety Net Versus Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age All Series SpaceX Starship Flight 14 reaches Earth's orbit and explodes in the Pacific From satellite deployment to a dramatic fiery finish, catch all the chaotic launch action in this full supercut recap. 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' teaser shows Sauron in full control of Middle-earth SpaceX's Starship Flight 14 saw it reach orbit for the first time, 170 miles above the Earth, marking a major milestone for the company. The Starship also deployed 26 V3 Starlink satellites, adding to the company's constellation. See all the highlights in our supercut video. Starship reaches orbit for the first time ever but returns home early Starlink satellites are becoming a barometer for Earth's atmosphere Elon Musk's SpacexAI faces another lawsuit from child sexual abuse survivor Seth Meyers takes'A Closer Look' at Trump's ballroom tour for Xi Jinping Isn't this bullroom of yours supposed to include a bunch of top secret military facilities, and if it does, maybe don't do the tour with the heads of foreign governments?