Introduction to Weather Satellites Weather satellites are spacecraft orbiting Earth that continually observe atmospheric conditions from above. They serve as “eyes in the sky” for meteorologists, providing a global view of weather systems that ground observers alone could never achieve. By capturing images and data on clouds, storms, temperature, and more, weather satellites supply crucial…
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Introduction to Spy Satellites Spy satellites – officially known as reconnaissance satellites – are orbiting spacecraft used by governments to secretly monitor activities on Earth for national security purposes. They serve as high-tech “eyes in the sky,” peering down from space to collect intelligence on foreign military forces, weapons developments, missile launches, and other strategic…
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Space’s Messy Problem: Orbital Debris and the Sustainability Crisis Earth’s orbits have become a cosmic junkyard. Decades of launches have left tens of thousands of pieces of debris whizzing around the planet at 28,000 km/h, each one a potential bullet threatening active spacecraft vivatechnology.com vivatechnology.com. As of mid-2020s, over 32,000 debris objects are regularly tracked…
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Introduction to Quantum Technologies Quantum technology is a cutting-edge field that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics – the physics of the very small – to unlock new capabilities in computing, communication, sensing, and more spinquanta.com. Unlike classical technologies based on bits and Newtonian physics, quantum technologies exploit uniquely quantum phenomena like superposition (quantum bits…
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Governments worldwide are entering a “Sky Wars” satellite arms race – a contest to secure robust military satellite communications (Satcom) for the coming decade. From 2025 to 2035, defense agencies are pouring resources into Satcom as warfighters demand resilient, everywhere-connectivity. The Ukraine conflict underscored Satcom’s importance (e.g. Starlink kept forces online), spurring militaries to accelerate…
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Total Number of Satellites in Orbit (Active vs. Defunct) in 2025 As of 2025, Earth is encircled by an unprecedented number of artificial satellites. By the end of March 2025, approximately 14,900 total satellites were orbiting the planet. However, not all of these are operational. Roughly 11,000–12,000 of these satellites are active and functioning, while…
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Introduction A massive forest fire rages through dry vegetation. AI technologies are emerging as critical tools to detect and prevent such devastating wildfires. Wildfires have become more frequent and intense in our warming world, incinerating millions of acres of forest and threatening communities and ecosystems. Each year, wildfires burn an estimated 400 million hectares of…
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Introduction Over the past two years, artificial intelligence has fundamentally reshaped how we search the web. Traditional search engines are integrating generative AI models to provide conversational answers and rich summaries alongside classic link results. New AI-first search platforms have emerged, and users are increasingly turning to chatbot-style tools for information retrieval. This report examines…
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Introduction The pace of internet connectivity has accelerated to truly insane speeds, from experimental lab links transferring petabits per second to gigabit-grade services available in homes. Around the world, researchers and providers are continually breaking speed records and rolling out ultra-fast networks. This report explores the extremes of internet speed in three realms: cutting-edge laboratory…
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1. Artificial Intelligence Goes Mainstream (Generative AI & AGI Progress) Artificial Intelligence has surged from hype to critical infrastructure in 2025. Generative AI models are now widely embedded across business functions – from automating customer support and coding to generating marketing content. In just one year, enterprise adoption of generative AI doubled to 65% of organizations amplifai.com,…
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