As of mid-2025, Starlink is available in over 110 countries and territories. In the United States, Starlink began with limited trials in August 2020 and the public beta “Better Than Nothing Beta” in November 2020, and now has nationwide commercial coverage including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with over 2.5 million subscribers as…
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The first space images were captured in 1946 from a sub-orbital U.S. V-2 rocket at about 105 km altitude. The first actual satellite photograph of Earth was taken on August 14, 1959 by the U.S. Explorer 6 satellite. In 1960, TIROS-1 transmitted the first television image of Earth from orbit, a milestone for weather observation.…
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The United States operates the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellation, delivering jam-resistant, global, protected military communications including nuclear command and control links. Navstar GPS is a 31-satellite global navigation system that provides precise positioning, navigation, and timing to guide munitions such as JDAM and to synchronize encrypted networks. Defense Support Program (DSP) and the…
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In 2024, the total global drone market was about $73 billion, with forecasts to reach roughly $163–165 billion by 2030 at around a 14% CAGR. Some analyses forecast growth from about $30 billion in 2022 to $260.5 billion by 2030, implying a 27–39% annual growth rate. By 2030 the market’s major segments are projected to…
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In 2024, the global space economy reached $415 billion in revenue, up 4% from 2023. Commercial satellite activities totaled about $293 billion in 2024, representing 71% of the global space economy. The number of operational satellites rose from roughly 3,371 in 2020 to 11,539 by the end of 2024, a more than threefold increase. SpaceX…
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By mid-2024, about 60% of Bahraini households had fiber-optic internet via the wholesale operator BNET, with roughly 171,000 fiber subscriptions in Q2 2024 and top plans up to 2 Gbps. Batelco, STC Bahrain, and Zain have launched 5G with over 98% population coverage, and the median mobile download speed was about 119 Mbps in early…
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The United States operates roughly 120–130 dedicated military satellites, spanning KH-11 imaging, SBIRS/DSP early warning, AEHF/Milstar communications, and the Wideband Global SATCOM network. Russia maintains about 70–80 active military satellites, including the Persona and Bars-M reconnaissance systems, the Liana ELINT network, the GLONASS navigation constellation, and the Tundra early-warning fleet. China operates approximately 60–70 military…
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The global drone market was valued at about $73 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach $163+ billion by 2030, with a 14%+ CAGR in the latter 2020s. Military and defense end-use accounted for about 60% of total drone market value in 2024. DJI held an estimated 70%+ share of the global drone market…
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By late 2023, nearly every Ukrainian combat brigade had integrated drones, with dedicated UAV units for surveillance, artillery spotting, and attack missions. Small off-the-shelf DJI Mavic quadcopters, priced around $1,500–$3,000, were widely used for frontline reconnaissance and artillery correction. FPV kamikaze drones cost as little as $400–$500 to assemble and have been linked to a…
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Starlink is a SpaceX satellite internet constellation that began launching in 2019 to deliver broadband virtually anywhere on Earth. As of late 2024, SpaceX had launched over 7,000 Starlink satellites, with FCC authorization for about 12,000 and potential expansion beyond 30,000 in the future. Starlink satellites orbit at approximately 550 km altitude in multiple orbital…
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