News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
Dothan's Community Developer leads number one in Colossal's Entrepreneur Impact competition race
DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) -- A YouTuber, and Community Developer from Dothan is competing In the Colossal's Entrepreneur of Impact Competition. The competition is a nationwide campaign raising funds and awareness for GenYOUth. Darante Martin, is making an impact beyond the tri-state area as a Social Educator and Community Developer. The former Wiregrass Pastor, now community leader, is creating space to help people far and near to build healthier lives, after leaving religion. Martin is gaining national and even international followers in the Philippines on YouTube. Through the national competition, Martin has the opportunity to Scale the work that he is currently doing protecting those who is battling with mental, and post-religion crisis. For people in the community who are feeling brunt-out, or mentally challenged in their beliefs, Martin is the "man with the plan." Martin shared, "the competition basically is a open competition to all entrepreneurs all across the nation. who all believe that they are making a difference. " He responded on GenYOUth, "and those do not have the families that support them physically, and that means a lot for me, for someone growing up in poverty, that there is a organization that really focusing on helping them. Entrepreneur of Impact, hosted by Daymond John, the founder of urban clothing brand FUBU -- and investor on ABC's "Shark Tank." The nationwide campaign also invites entrepreneurs from ages 13 and up. Entrepreneurs compete for mentorship, and win a $25,000 prize while supporting national nonprofit GenYOUth. Martin is the founder of DLDD World Group, and the visionary behind Bridge City Global. It is a growing community ecosystem, building toward local campuses. Martin also a published author whose work challenges religious claims and equips people rebuilding their own identity after belief. "But we still have to live life in anyway -- and that is a very liberating place to be." Said, Martin. Martin ended with, "and so if anyone in the Wiregrass that wants to support, the easiest way to do so is casting a vote for me... " On Entrepreneur's Impact website, Martin is number one in the top 10 to win the prize. However, every week a contestant is being eliminated -- and, Martin needs all the support.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60B
SAN FRANCISCO, United States -- SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. READ: SpaceX files securities documents to go public -- source 'Next book' Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. READ: Musk Inc.? Billionaire combines his rocket and AI businesses before an expected IPO this year Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
SpaceX warns space-based AI data centres, Moon-Mars plans may not be commercially viable: Report
CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. File/AFP SpaceX has struck a notably cautious tone on some of its most ambitious bets, warning investors that its plans for orbital artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and human settlements beyond Earth remain highly uncertain and may never turn profitable. In its S-1 filing ahead of initial public offering, the company said projects ranging from space-based data centres to industrial activity on the Moon and Mars are still in early development and hinge on technologies that are yet to be proven at scale, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Early-stage ambitions, structural risks The filing underscores the formidable engineering challenges involved. Space-based computing systems would have to function reliably in extreme conditions -- including radiation exposure, thermal stress and limited repair capabilities -- raising the risk of system failures and cost overruns. While such risk disclosures are standard in IPO documentation, the language signals a more grounded assessment of execution risks behind projects that have often been framed in sweeping, futuristic terms. Contrast with Musk's public optimism The caution contrasts with the bullish narrative pushed by chief executive Elon Musk, who has repeatedly argued that space-based AI infrastructure could become economically compelling. At the World Economic Forum, Musk described orbital data centres as "a no-brainer," suggesting they could emerge as the most efficient way to scale compute capacity. Following the integration of xAI into SpaceX, he has also positioned space as central to the future of AI expansion. AI push intensifies with Cursor option Alongside its long-term space ambitions, SpaceX is also accelerating its push into terrestrial AI markets. The company disclosed it has secured an option to acquire code-generation startup Cursor for $60 billion, or alternatively enter a $10 billion partnership. The move would strengthen the position of xAI -- now integrated into SpaceX -- in the fast-growing AI developer tools segment, where rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic have gained early traction. SpaceX said combining Cursor's developer-focused tools with its "Colossus" supercomputer cluster -- touted as one of the world's largest -- could accelerate the development of advanced AI models. The deal also reflects the company's willingness to deploy significant capital to close gaps in AI infrastructure and capabilities. IPO scale and investor reality check The disclosures come as SpaceX prepares for what could be a record-breaking market debut, targeting a valuation of around $1.75 trillion and a potential $75 billion fundraise. That timing coincides with a global surge in AI spending, with industry estimates pointing to more than $600 billion in investment this year alone. Despite stepping up its own spending, SpaceX acknowledged it still trails leading technology firms in infrastructure scale.
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SpaceX secures option to buy AI startup Cursor for $60bn or partner for $10bn
Cursor is aSilicon Valley startup using AI to automate coding as Elon Musk's firm seeks foothold in the AI marketSpaceX said it has secured an option to either acquire code-generation startup Cursor for $60bn later this year, or pay $10bn for their new partnership, as it pushes deeper into the lucrative market for AI developer tools.Along with OpenAI and Anthropic, Cursor is one of several Silicon Valley startups that has drawn waves of developers by using artificial intelligence to automate coding, a business where AI companies have found early commercial traction. Continue reading......
SpaceX says it has option to acquire startup Cursor for $60 billion
April 21 (Reuters) - SpaceX said it has secured an option to either acquire code-generation startup Cursor for $60 billion later this year, or pay $10 billion for their new partnership, as it pushes deeper into the lucrative market for AI developer tools. Along with OpenAI and Anthropic, Cursor is one of several Silicon Valley startups that have drawn waves of developers by using artificial intelligence to automate coding, a business where AI companies have found early commercial traction. The deal could give xAI, the Grok chatbot maker that SpaceX merged with in February, a stronger foothold in the AI coding market where it has so far lagged rivals. It also provides Cursor with more computing capacity to develop AI models. "The combination of Cursor's leading product and distribution to expert software engineers with SpaceX's million H100 equivalent Colossus training supercomputer will allow us to build the world's most useful models," SpaceX said in an X post on Tuesday. Colossus is xAI's supercomputer cluster in Memphis, which it has touted as the largest in the world. The company has been spending billions of dollars on AI infrastructure. The announcement comes ahead of SpaceX's highly anticipated public debut in the coming months, with the company eyeing a valuation of close to $1.75 trillion and a $75 billion fundraise that could go down as the biggest IPO in history. Two product engineering heads at Cursor, a startup that sells AI models for coding tasks, said in March they joined SpaceX to contribute to the company's lunar projects and xAI, Musk's AI startup that is now part of SpaceX. Musk welcomed the engineers, Andrew Milich and Jason Ginsberg, saying, "Orbital space centers and mass drivers on the Moon will be incredible." (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year. gc-bl/des
Polymarket, Kalshi to Launch Perpetual Futures
Polymarket and Kalshi, two dominant prediction markets platforms, are both planning to launch perpetual futures, a type of crypto-native futures contracts that never expire. Polymarket said in a Tuesday video post on X that perpetual futures tied to crypto tokens, U.S. stocks and commodities are coming to the platform. It isn't clear whether Polymarket is planning to offer them in the U.S. where such instruments are largely inaccessible. (Polymarket has a data partnership with Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.) Kalshi is also planning to offer perpetual futures tied to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, according to The Information, which earlier reported on the news. A spokeswoman for Kalshi declined to comment. Perpetual futures are a highly speculative flavor of derivative that offers traders extreme leverage to amplify their bets on financial assets. They gained mainstream attention recently when traders on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid took advantage of their 24/7 availability to bet on oil prices during the weekends, when traditional markets were closed.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions.
Vandenberg rocket launch today. Where, when to see SpaceX liftoff
Here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Three days since the last California rocket launch, yet another SpaceX Falcon 9 is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. And once again, it'll be a mission to deliver the spaceflight company's Starlink broadband internet satellites to Earth orbit. Want to catch a sight of the 230-foot-tall rocket as it lifts off and thunders into the sky? Plenty of places around Southern California are popular among spectators. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Wednesday, April 22, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 p.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
AI startup Anthropic commits $100 billion to Amazon's AWS over next 10 years
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has agreed to commit more than $100 billion to Amazon's AWS cloud platform over the next 10 years to train and run its Claude chatbot. Amazon will invest $5 billion immediately as part of the new agreement announced this week by the companies, and up to another $20 billion in the future. Amazon previously invested $8 billion in Anthropic. The partnership will allow Anthropic to secure up to 5 gigawatts of Amazon's Trainium chips to train and power their artificial intelligence models. "Our custom AI silicon offers high performance at significantly lower cost for customers, which is why it's in such hot demand," said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Amazon said AWS customers will be able to access the full Anthropic-native Claude console from within the AWS cloud platform. Earlier this year, privately-held Anthropic said its valuation grew to $380 billion, positioning itself alongside rivals OpenAI and Elon Musk's rocket maker SpaceX, which recently merged with his AI startup xAI, maker of the chatbot Grok. Renaissance Capital, which researches the potential for initial public offerings, counts Anthropic as third among the most valuable private firms, behind SpaceX and ChatGPT maker OpenAI, valued at $500 billion. Anthropic and Amazon have partnered since 2023 to accelerate generative AI adoption for customers to build, deploy, and scale AI applications. Amazon says 100,000 customers run Anthropic Claude models on AWS. In February, the Trump administration ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic's artificial intelligence technology and imposed other major penalties for refusing to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of its AI technology. In an unusually public clash between the government and the company, President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials took to social media to chastise Anthropic, accusing it of endangering national security. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to back down over concerns the company's products could be used in ways that would violate its safeguards. Anthropic said it would challenge what it called an unprecedented and legally unsound action "never before publicly applied to an American company." Earlier this month, a federal appeals court refused to block the Pentagon from blacklisting artificial intelligence laboratory Anthropic in a decision that differed from the conclusions reached in another judge's ruling on the same issues. Anthropic is not yet profitable but said in February that it's on track for sales of $14 billion over the next year. Anthropic was founded by ex-OpenAI employees in 2021 and released its first version of Claude in 2023, following OpenAI's ChatGPT debut in late 2022.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for US$60bil
SAN FRANCISCO: SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for US$60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specialises in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models", it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centres to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year, widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution, therefore, is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping US$75 billion or more for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding US$1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalisation. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
Pentagon Vs. Anthropic: The Battle Over AI In Autonomous Weapons And What It Means For Congress - Analysis
On February 27, 2026, President Donald J. Trump directed federal agencies to "IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of [American AI company] Anthropic's technology." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (who is now using "Secretary of War" as a "secondary title" under Executive Order (E.O.) 14347 dated September 5, 2025) subsequently directed the Department of Defense (DOD, now using "Department of War" as a secondary designation under E.O. 14347) to designate Anthropic a supply-chain risk to national security; bar defense contractors, suppliers, and partners from working with Anthropic; and describe an up-to-six-month period of transition away from Anthropic products. This designation follows a reportedly months-long dispute between DOD and Anthropic over DOD use of Anthropic products, including Claude, the company's generative AI model. On March 9, Anthropic filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and a petition for reviewin the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging these directives. While the district court issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Anthropic on March 26, the court of appeals denied Anthropic's motion for a stay on April 8, thus undoing the lower court's injunction. Some lawmakers have called for a resolution to the disagreement and for Congress to act to set rules for the department's use of AI and/or autonomous weapon systems. In July 2025, DOD announced that it had awarded contracts to Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI for up to $200 million each "to accelerate Department of Defense (DoD) adoption of advanced AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges." Although DOD has not publicly outlined the full range of use cases for these companies' AI models, Anthropic has stated that Claude "is reportedly the Department's most widely deployed and used frontier AI model." Anthropic has further statedits models are used "across the Department of War and other national security agencies for mission-critical applications, such as intelligence analysis, modeling and simulation, operational planning, cyber operations, and more." Although Anthropic's usage policy prohibits use of its models to incite violence or to develop or design weapons, reports indicate that Claude was used in the January 2026 operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to reporting, Anthropic inquired about DOD's use of Claude, generating concerns within the department that Anthropic might not approve of certain use cases and, therefore, might attempt to limit DOD use of its models. As a result, the Pentagon reportedly requested that Anthropic -- and other AI companies -- allow use of AI models for "all lawful purposes." While Anthropic was reportedly "willing to adapt its usage policies for the Pentagon," the company was, given its assessment of "what today's technology can safely and reliably do," unwilling to allow two use cases: mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapon systems. In explaining his decision to deny the Pentagon's request for "full, unrestricted access to Anthropic's models," Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stated that autonomous weapon systems "may prove critical for our national defense. But today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons." DOD is not publicly known to be using Claude -- or any other frontier AI model -- within autonomous weapon systems. DOD Directive (DODD) 3000.09, "Autonomy in Weapon Systems," outlines the approval process for developing and deploying autonomous weapon systems and identifies requirements for their use. DODD 3000.09 defines autonomous weapon systems as "weapon system[s] that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by [a human] operator." This concept of autonomy is also known as human out of the loop or full autonomy. The directive contrasts such systems with human-supervised, or human on the loop, autonomous weapon systems, in which operators have the ability to monitor and halt a weapon's target engagement. Another category is semiautonomous, or human in the loop, weapon systems that "only engage individual targets or specific target groups that have been selected by [a human] operator." DODD 3000.09 requires all systems, including autonomous weapon systems, be designed to "allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force." Such judgment does not require manual human "control" of the weapon system but rather broader human involvement in decisions about how, when, where, and why the weapon will be employed (i.e., a human must assess the operational environment and decide to deploy the weapon, which can then operate autonomously). This involvement includes a human determination that the weapon will be used "with appropriate care and in accordance with the law of war, applicable treaties, weapon system safety rules, and applicable rules of engagement." The requirement for "human judgment over the use of force" does not mean that such systems are operating with a human in the loop. The department updated DODD 3000.09 in January 2023 and later that year, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA; P.L. 118-31). Section 251 requires that the Secretary notify the defense committees of any changes to DODD 3000.09 within 30 days. The Secretary is directed to provide a description of the modification and an explanation of the reasons for the modification. Section 1066 of the FY2025 NDAA (P.L. 118-159) additionally requires the Secretary to submit to the committees, annually through December 31, 2029, a "comprehensive report on the approval and deployment of lethal autonomous weapon systems by the United States" through December 31, 2029. Congress has not legislated on the department's use of AI models or their reliability; some Members have introduced related legislation (e.g., S. 1394 and H.R. 2894, 118 Congress; S. 4113, 119 Congress). Should Congress decide that more oversight is needed, it may codify the requirements of DODD 3000.09 or consider additional notification requirements for DOD's use of autonomous weapon systems or AI models. Congress may also restrict funds for the development and/or use of autonomous weapon systems, or for certain use cases of AI models by DOD, should Congress deem such uses pose an unacceptable level of risk at the current stage of technological development.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX says merging the coding expertise of startup Cursor with its supercomputer will enable it to train cutting edge AI models SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI.
SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn
SpaceX on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI coding company Cursor, saying the alliance comes with an option to buy the startup for $60 billion later this year. The move by Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company comes as it prepares to become publicly traded, and shortly after it took over the billionaire's artificial intelligence outfit xAI. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specializes in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. "SpaceXAI and @cursor_ai are now working closely together to create the world's best coding and knowledge work AI," the company said in a post on X. Combining Cursor's software and product expertise with SpaceX's "Colossus" AI training supercomputer will enable the company "to build the world's most useful models," it said. Musk announced in February that SpaceX would acquire xAI, a step in his plan to launch solar-powered, satellite-based data centers to run future AI models. SpaceX has set the pace in the space launch market, offering reusable rockets that vastly reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and itself owning the largest satellite constellation, Starlink. The company is set for a stock market listing this year widely expected to be the biggest in history, with media reports pointing to an initial public offering (IPO) as early as June. Musk called SpaceX's absorption of xAI "not just the next chapter, but the next book" for the companies. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions... The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space," Musk wrote when his companies were merged. The project fits into Musk's long-term ambition to build colonies on the Moon and Mars and is "a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," he wrote. Coined in the 1960s by a Soviet astronomer, the futurist term refers to a civilization able to use all of the energy from its home system's star. SpaceX filed papers early this year with US regulators that set the stage for what could be the largest-ever public stock offering, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The confidential filing puts the rocket and satellite builder on track to list its shares on a public exchange by July, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources. Media reports have said the initial public offering could be valued at a whopping $75 billion or more, for a venture with stratospheric ambitions. If successful, SpaceX could arrive on Wall Street with a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, putting it among the world's ten biggest companies by market capitalization. Besides SpaceX, two other tech heavyweights, the AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic, are reportedly planning IPOs this year. gc-bl/des
Piraeus partners Accenture and Anthropic to launch new AI hub
Piraeus Bank in Greece has partnered with Accenture to establish a new AI hub and scale the development and application of artificial intelligence across the group. According to a statement from the bank, the hub will act as a "central engine for designing, developing and scaling advanced AI capabilities across Piraeus' full value chain". Supported by AI research fintech Anthropic, the initiative aims to "drive the reinvention of Piraeus' banking processes" across compliance, operations, customer experience, and risk management. Additionally, Piraeus hopes that the hub will act as a catalyst for "attracting, developing and upskilling specialised talent through targeted recruitment and structured learning programmes", such as Udacity, Accenture's AI-native learning and training platform. Building on Piraeus' 2021 partnership with Accenture to adopt a cloud-first operating model, this latest initiative taps into Accenture's AI expertise, including its data and AI Centre of Excellence in Athens, to advance the bank's strategic AI objectives. Harry Margaritis, Piraeus' group chief operating officer (COO), says the AI hub represents a "strategic inflection point" for the bank, which oversees approximately €91 million in assets, employs 8,100 staff, and operates a network of 368 branches across Greece. "We are advancing from individual AI deployments to a unified, enterprise-level capability that is deeply embedded in how the bank operates," continues Margaritis. The COO highlights the importance of implementing AI ethically, noting that the work with Accenture and integration of Anthropic's AI technology, including its flagship LLM Claude, will help the bank to "scale advanced AI responsibly, anchored in strong governance, transparency and human control". In addition to its AI initiatives, Piraeus launched Snappi, Greece's first ECB-licensed neobank, last September in collaboration with core banking software vendor Natech and its partner Neptune International. After three years in development, Snappi debuted with offerings such as Greek IBAN accounts, money transfers, virtual and physical bank cards, cross-border transactions, and utility payments. For further insights into Snappi's progress and its journey, check out this week's What the FinTech? podcast episode with the challenger's CEO, Gabriella Kindert.
