Space Force’s Secret Launch, Pixel 10 Surprise & EV Shake-Up – Top Tech News (Aug 20–21, 2025)
On Aug. 21, SpaceX will launch the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane (OTV-8) on the USSF-36 mission from Kennedy Space Center, after seven prior clandestine flights since 2010 and with tests including laser communications between satellites and a quantum inertial sensor. SpaceX achieved its 100th launch of 2025 on Aug. 18 with a Falcon 9 mission from California carrying 24 Starlink satellites, the 72nd dedicated Starlink flight of the year, using a booster on its 9th flight that safely landed. Rocket Lab completed a $275 million acquisition of Geost in August 2025, expanding into satellite sensors and optics and enabling