A narrowly-avoided collision between Elon Musk's SpaceX and OneWeb satellites that was widely reported last week did not take place, according to filings provided to the FCC by SpaceX. It was reported that SpaceX's satellite came within 60 meters of a OneWeb craft, but SpaceX claims that the actual miss distance was over 1,000 meters, which was "neither a'close call' [nor] 'urgent'". OneWeb's satellites operate at a 1,200 kilometer altitude, compared to SpaceX's 550 kilometers, meaning they must pass through Mr Musk's network as they ascend. OneWeb apparently contacted the SpaceX team, who disabled the Starlink satellite's collision avoidance system to allow OneWeb to pass through, according to OneWeb's government affairs chief Chris McLaughlin. However, SpaceX claims this is not the case, stating in FCC filings authored by the company's Director of Satellite Policy David Goldman, that "the probability of collision never exceeded the threshold for a maneuver, and the satellites would not have collided even if no maneuver had been conducted".

A narrowly-avoided collision between Elon Musk's SpaceX and OneWeb satellites that was widely reported last week did not take place, according to filings provided to the FCC by SpaceX. It was reported that SpaceX's satellite came within 60 meters of a OneWeb craft, but SpaceX claims that the actual miss distance was over 1,000 meters, which was "neither a'close call' [nor] 'urgent'". OneWeb's satellites operate at a 1,200 kilometer altitude, compared to SpaceX's 550 kilometers, meaning they must pass through Mr Musk's network as they ascend. OneWeb apparently contacted the SpaceX team, who disabled the Starlink satellite's collision avoidance system to allow OneWeb to pass through, according to OneWeb's government affairs chief Chris McLaughlin. However, SpaceX claims this is not the case, stating in FCC filings authored by the company's Director of Satellite Policy David Goldman, that "the probability of collision never exceeded the threshold for a maneuver, and the satellites would not have collided even if no maneuver had been conducted".

The latest State of European Tech report highlights that investment in "deep tech" like AI has dropped 13 percent this year. Data from Dealroom was used for the State of European Tech report. Dealroom defines deep tech as 16 fields: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Drones, Autonomous Driving, Blockchain, Nanotech, Robotics, Internet of Things, 3D Technology, Computer Vision, Connected Devices, Sensors Technology, and Recognition Technology (NLP, image, video, text, speech recognition). In 2019, there was $10.2 billion capital invested in European deep tech. In 2020, that dropped to $8.9 billion: I think it's fair to say that 2020 has been a tough year for most people and businesses.

The U.S. Department of Defense's most advanced research and development arm is calling upon engineers and scientists to help develop robots capable of remotely repairing satellites in space. According to the The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Defense, the organization hopes to develop and launch the sophisticated space bots into orbit within the next five years. Currently, says DARPA, about 400 satellites owned by the government and private industry in the U.S. are orbiting Earth with some more than 20,000 miles away making it service and maintenance all but impossible. The U.S. Department of Defense is calling upon engineers and scientists to help develop robots capable of remotely repairing satellites in space. 'With no prospects for assistance once in orbit, satellites destined for [geosynchronous equatorial orbit] today are loaded with backup systems and as much fuel as can be accommodated, adding to their complexity, weight and cost,' reads a release from DARPA.

FARNBOROUGH, London--The head of Airbus SE's EADSY -1.10% defense and space business anticipates major long-term benefits, including possibly Pentagon contracts, as a result of implementing a high-volume automated production system for small satellites. Dirk Hoke said the production and quality-control changes--under way as part of a joint venture with Internet services provider OneWeb--will position Airbus to churn out less-expensive spacecraft using fewer workers and less testing than with traditional factory practices. Airbus officials previously highlighted expected financial gains stemming from assembling up to two satellites a day at the comparatively low cost of $1 million each. But Mr. Hoke's comments at the international air show here Monday were the most specific yet about the project's positive effect on internal industrial processes, as well as on the general approach of Airbus engineers. Committing to assemble a new generation of lightweight satellites primarily using robots "was a game-changer for us," Mr. Hoke said.

Tokyo-based SoftBank is one of Japan's biggest telecoms providers, with more than 63,590 employees, a solar power business, humanoid robots for home use, ride-booking services and financial technology. It recently set up a $25 billion private fund for technology investments, along with Saudi Arabia and other investors, that Son says could grow to $100 billion.