Sandy Buckley

Gemini response to DPAS announcement. When and Why a Company Will Announce It. When a heavily watched commercial or dual-use company announces they are part of a DPAS-rated program, they do so strategically for their shareholders: • To guarantee launch or production slots: In high-demand industries like commercial spaceflight, a DPAS rating gives the company legal authority to leapfrog straight to the front of the queue for launches, parts, and materials. • To de-risk the supply chain for investors: Announcing a DPAS-rated program status signals to Wall Street that the company's manufacturing schedule is insulated against commercial backlogs or supplier delays. • To validate government backing: It serves as a public confirmation that the U.S. government views the company’s commercial technology as vital to national security or emergency preparedness. The last point is the one I am most curious about. "To validate government backing: It serves as a public confirmation that the U.S. government views the company’s commercial technology as vital to national security or emergency preparedness."

BREAKING: Ballot issues at Lucas and Wood counties in Ohio Machines were down at a polling place in Lucas while a location in Wood county showed voters they had already voted when they had hadn’t! Wood county says the issue has been fixed. Some voters in Lucas county told WTOL11 it was very frustrating and they had to leave and would come back later…

SpaceX pauses Florida rocket launches for 6 weeks as the company prepares to introduce Starship flights at Kennedy Space Center. Florida is currently experiencing a rocket launch drought after a record-breaking 2025. The last Falcon 9 launch from the state was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 20. Other launch providers like Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance currently have no firm launch dates scheduled.

MNOs have a ticking time bomb on their hands and it's not going to stop. They either do a deal with SpaceX, which I think is already too late, or they build a real offensive strategy, this is not just about satellites anymore. They need to throw out the old playbook, start taking real risks, back crazy ideas, build new platforms or embrace an entrepreneurial spirit. Playing defense, protecting the old business model and hoping SpaceX fails can't be their strategy. The clock is ticking. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

READ: FCC Proposes to Streamline Supplemental Coverage from Space and Direct-to-Device Rules "The rules proposed… would more than double the amount of spectrum available for supplemental coverage from space.” insideglobaltech.com/2026/10…