SkyServe, an Indian edge computing startup, collaborated with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to test artificial intelligence models on a D-Orbit satellite. The models, designed for near-real-time monitoring of wildfires, floods, and urban heat islands, were tested on SkyServe's STORM edge-computing suite installed on a D-Orbit ION Satellite Carrier in low-Earth orbit in March.
Meanwhile, a European consortium led by Portuguese startup Spaceo secured funding to test an inflatable drag sail in space by 2028. This system, named SWIFT, aims to deorbit satellites more rapidly after mission completion. The drag sail, managed by SpaceLocker, will be integrated onto a satellite provided by GomSpace, with SolidFlow developing the gas generator for inflation.
In a related development, SpaceX is expanding its Starlink kit production facility in Bastrop, Texas, to meet growing demand. The factory currently produces 15,000 kits per day and employs over 1,000 workers. The expansion will add over a million square feet of manufacturing space to further insource production processes.