SpaceX headlines are lighting up again as the company continues its breakneck pace of launches and milestone achievements. Mark your calendars: SpaceX is targeting a high-profile Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base this Saturday, October 18, with the window opening at 4:46 p.m. local time. Locals in California are buzzing, hoping for clear skies to catch the spectacle, and SpaceX officials have said real-time updates will roll out on the social media platform X—formerly Twitter, which Elon Musk acquired in 2022, amplifying all things SpaceX according to coverage from USA Today and the Ventura County Star.

While listeners prepare for the next Starlink deployment, SpaceX has scored major regulatory triumphs. Aviation Week and Tesla North confirm the U.S. Air Force just granted SpaceX approval to double its annual launches from Vandenberg—from 50 to a whopping 100 per year. Falcon Heavy is now cleared for up to five launches and landings per year at the newly-adapted SLC-6 pad, with new hangars on the drawing board for streamlined rocket integration. The Air Force says this decision meets both national defense and commercial needs. SpaceX is now positioned to deliver nearly 95% of Earth’s payload to orbit once Starship comes online, a forecast CEO Elon Musk has been loudly promoting in recent public appearances.

In technology and defense news, NPR reports that SpaceX’s classified Starshield satellite network, funded with $1.8 billion so far by the U.S. government, is raising eyebrows in the orbital community. Amateur researchers have detected mysterious shifting signals from over 170 of these satellites, with the National Reconnaissance Office overseeing 11 dedicated launches since last year. Experts say Starshield is operating in a frequency range typical for military and intelligence use, suggesting advanced and potentially covert capabilities for Earth observation and secure communications.

Back on the business front, SpaceX just locked down $108.8 million in BEAD program funding from the state of Texas, giving it more locations to expand its low-Earth orbit broadband service than any other provider in the state, according to Light Reading.

For listeners tracking the SpaceX rumor mill and social conversation, the company is once again the talk of tech circles. Elon Musk himself has been active on X, stirring the pot on topics from funding to content monetization. And finally, some of the most shared clips this week feature Starship Flight 11, with live cam feeds capturing its rollout, stacking, and the thunderous early moments of launch—sequences that have rocketed to the top of trending feeds.

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