SpaceX Seeks Approval for Massive Orbital Data Center Network
SpaceX filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday, January 31, 2026, seeking approval to deploy a constellation of 1 million solar-powered data center satellites into orbit, according to The Verge. The company claims this ambitious project would offer a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional land-based data centers.
While the FCC is unlikely to approve a network of that magnitude, SpaceX has historically requested approval for unrealistically large numbers of satellites, The Verge reported. Terrence O'Brien of The Verge noted the filing in his report on January 31st.
In other tech news, Waymo is reportedly nearing completion of a $16 billion funding round, valuing the robotaxi company at $110 billion, according to the Financial Times as reported by TechCrunch. More than three-quarters of the funding is expected to come from Alphabet, Waymo's parent company. New investors such as Dragoneer, Sequoia Capital, and DST Global are reportedly participating, along with existing backers Andreessen Horowitz and Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala. "While we don’t comment on private financial matters, our trajectory is clear: with over 20 million trips completed, we are focused on the safety-led operational excellence," a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch.
January 2026 also saw the emergence of five new European unicorns – tech startups reaching a valuation above $1 billion, TechCrunch reported. These companies, spanning from Belgium to Ukraine, recently secured funding rounds that propelled them past the billion-dollar threshold. TechCrunch noted that some of these companies, like Lovable, are incorporated outside of Europe (in Lovable's case, Delaware) but maintain significant roots and operations within the European tech ecosystem. TechCrunch cautioned that "valuation doesn’t equal commercial success, and it is too early to tell whether all of these companies will achieve the kind of traction that Lovable has."
These developments occurred amidst other global events, as reported by Euronews. The Euronews broadcasts on January 31st and February 1st covered a range of international news, including reports of explosions in Iran, which Israel denied involvement in, and marches across US cities during an anti-ICE strike.
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