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SpaceX to launch first internet-providing satellite

Matt Hartman / AP

Elon Musk's SpaceX laid out a plan yesterday to create a network of internet-providing satellites around Earth, per the Verge. The company hopes to start launching satellites into space in 2019, and will continue to send them in phases until 2024, when the network is expected to reach capacity.

How they'll do it: SpaceX will use its own Falcon 9 rockets to drop the satellites into low-Earth orbit. The company will also build ground-control centers, gateway stations, and other Earth-based facilities to support the network.

Why this is a big feat: There are roughly 1,459 satellites currently orbiting Earth. The SpaceX network would be triple that (4,425 satellites), which could clutter the space around the planet.

How it'd help: A space-based internet network would mean companies don't need to install, rip up, and reinstall cabling in order to provide fast internet service.

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer
23 mins ago - Politics & Policy

UN poll: Most see climate change as global emergency amid pandemic

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) fronts a Fridays For Future protest at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm in September. Photo: Jonathan Nacksrtrand/AFP via Getty Images

64% of people from around the world say climate change is a global emergency, a United Nations poll published Wednesday finds.

Why it matters: It's biggest global survey on climate change ever conducted, with some 1.2 million participants from 50 countries — including the U.S. where 65% of those surveyed view climate change as an emergency.

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Lachlan Markay
7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Collins helps contractor before pro-Susan PAC gets donation

Sen. Susan Collins during her reelection campaign. Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images

A PAC backing Sen. Susan Collins in her high-stakes reelection campaign received $150,000 from an entity linked to the wife of a defense contractor whose firm Collins helped land a federal contract, new public records show.

Why it matters: The executive, Martin Kao of Honolulu, leaned heavily on his political connections to boost his business, federal prosecutors say in an ongoing criminal case against him. The donation linked to Kao was veiled until last week.

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Lachlan Markay
7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

How cutting GOP corporate cash could backfire

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Companies pulling back on political donations, particularly to members of Congress who voted against certifying President Biden's election win, could inadvertently push Republicans to embrace their party's rightward fringe.

Why it matters: Scores of corporate PACs have paused, scaled back or entirely abandoned their political giving programs. While designed to distance those companies from events that coincided with this month's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, research suggests the moves could actually empower the far-right.

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