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SonicWall Says Malicious NetExtender Client Used to Steal VPN Credentials

Jun 26, 2025

SonicWall has issued an advisory that informs customers that a malicious version of its SonicWall SSL VPN NetExtender app is being used to steal VPN configuration and credentials. The company warns that threat actors have modified two files used by the NetExtender VPN application, which is used by several organisations to allow remote users to securely connect to the main network. Microsoft and SonicWall have taken measures to block the spread of the modified versions of the NetExtender application.

SonicWall NetExtender VPN Application Was Digitally Signed By Threat Actors

In a security advisory issued earlier this week, SonicWall said that it detected the modified version of the NetExtender SSL VPN application in collaboration with Microsoft Threat Intelligence (MSTIC). The malicious version of the app was hosted on a website that allowed users to download the trojanised version of the latest release, version 10.3.2.27.

The NetExtender application files modified by the threat actor
Photo Credit: SonicWall

According to the company, the threat actors digitally signed the trojanised version of the NetExtender app, which allowed it to bypass security checks on Windows. It was signed using a digital certificate issued to “CITYLIGHT MEDIA Private LIMITED”.

If a user downloaded the fake version of the SonicWall NetExtender VPN app, it would install two modified applications, “NeService.exe” and “NetExtender.exe”. The threat actor’s changes to the NeService.exe allowed them to bypass the digital certificate checks performed when the app is loaded.

Meanwhile, the modified NetExtender.exe application would collect details about the user’s VPN configuration, including their username, password, domain, and other information. These would be sent to a remote server once the user clicked the Connect button.

SonicWall has updated its malware detection tool and will automatically block the malicious software after identifying it as GAV: Fake-NetExtender (Trojan). Microsoft’s Windows Defender software will also detect the trojanised version of the app, which is categorised as “SilentRoute” Trojan (“TrojanSpy:Win32/SilentRoute.A”)

The digital certificate used to sign the installer has also been revoked, and the companies worked to take down the websites that were being used to impersonate the NetExtended VPN application. Meanwhile, SonicWall has urged users to download the application from its website instead of using third party sources.

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Google Pixel 10 Tipped to Pack Larger Battery Than Pixel 9; May Offer Faster Charging

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Google Pixel 10 Tipped to Pack Larger Battery Than Pixel 9; May Offer Faster Charging

Jun 26, 2025

Google is expected to announce the Pixel 10 series in August. While we wait for the formal reveal, a new leak has emerged online, offering insight into what to expect from the standard Pixel 10 smartphone. The latest leak suggests that the upcoming smartphone will ship with a bigger battery and improved wireless charging speed. It is said to run on Google’s in-house Tensor G5 chipset and could pack 12GB of RAM. The Pixel 10 is said to feature a 6.3-inch display and a triple rear camera unit including a new telephoto sensor.

Pixel 10 Key Specifications Revealed in New Leak

Android Headlines has listed the possible specifications of the standard Pixel 10 ahead of its rumoured release on August 20. It is said to carry a 4,970mAh battery, up from the 4,700mAh battery on last year’s Pixel 9. The new model is said to offer 29W wired charging support and 15W Qi2 wireless charging support. This would be a notable upgrade over the 27W wired charging speed offered by the Pixel 9.

Furthermore, the Pixel 10 is reportedly set to feature a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is said to provide HDR brightness of 2,000 nits, up from 1,800 nits on the Pixel 9. The screen is likely to have Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

The Pixel 10 is reportedly equipped with a Tensor G5 chipset, manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm process. For optics, the handset is tipped to feature a triple rear camera unit comprising a 48-megapixel 1/2.0-inch sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a new 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto sensor. The 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera would be a step back from the 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor available on the Pixel 9.

Google is reportedly packing 12GB of RAM into the Pixel 10. It is expected to be launched in 128GB and 256GB storage options.

Previous leaks indicate that the Pixel 10 will feature notable upgrades, including enhanced speaker performance and gimbal-level image stabilisation. The handset, however, is said to skip Wi-Fi 7 and vapour chamber cooling features.

The Pixel 10 is expected to debut at a Made by Google event on August 20, alongside the Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold models, with sales said to begin on August 28.

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Motorola Teases Upcoming Smartphone Launch in India, Could Be the Moto G96 5G

Jun 26, 2025

Motorola has started teasing the launch of a new smartphone in India. While the company hasn’t revealed the name of the new phone or the launch date, recent leaks suggest that it could be the Moto G96 5G. The teaser video shared by Motorola India doesn’t reveal any details. However, a Flipkart microsite reveals that the phone will feature a Snapdragon chipset and offer a dual rear camera setup. The upcoming phone is also teased to arrive in four colour options.

Motorola Teases India Launch of New Phone

Motorola has teased the upcoming India launch of a new smartphone in an X post. While no details about the phone were shared in the teaser, the caption suggests that its launch will take place soon. We can expect the company to confirm the exact launch date and more details the next few days.

Notably, a Flipkart microsite for the upcoming Motorola handset has gone live, suggesting its availability via the e-commerce platform. The listing includes some key features of the smartphone. It is set to arrive with a curved display featuring slim, uniform bezels and a centred hole-punch cutout at the top for the front camera. The phone will also be equipped with a dual rear camera setup and a Snapdragon chipset.

The Flipkart microsite for the Motorola handset teases four colour options, including two shades of blue, as well as green and purple. The accompanying teaser images closely resemble recently leaked design renders of the Moto G96 5G. It is expected to come in Ashleigh Blue, Cattleya Orchid (lavender), Dresden Blue, and Greener Pastures colourways. Some other specifications of the purported handset also align with the teasers.

The upcoming Motorola handset teased in four colourways
Photo Credit: Flipkart

The Moto G96 5G is expected to be backed by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC and a 5,500mAh battery. The handset may support 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. It will likely run on Hello UI based on Android 15 OS and could receive three years of major OS upgrades.

Moto G96 5G is expected to feature a 6.67-inch pOLED curved 10-bit display with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and support for Water Touch 2.0 technology. For optics, it may carry a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia 700C main rear sensor and an 8-megapixel Macro Vision Camera at the back, as well as a 32-megapixel sensor at the front.

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Nothing Phone 3 With Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC Surfaces on Geekbench Ahead of Launch

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Nothing Phone 3 With Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC Surfaces on Geekbench Ahead of Launch

Jun 26, 2025

Nothing Phone 3 is scheduled to be unveiled next week alongside the Headphone 1. Ahead of its anticipated debut, the handset has surfaced on a benchmarking site which suggests several of its specifications. It is listed with an octa-core processor, which is already confirmed to be the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC. The phone is listed with 16GB of RAM as well. The upcoming Nothing Phone 3 is expected to ship with Android 15.

Nothing Phone 3 Geekbench Listing

A Nothing phone with the model number “Nothing A024” has been listed on Geekbench (first spotted by GSMArena). It shows up with an octa-core chipset featuring Armv8 architecture and a base operating frequency of 2.02GHz. The SoC comprises one core clocked at 3.21GHz, three cores at 3.01GHz, two cores operating at 2.80GHz, and two other cores capped at 2.02GHz.

This corroborates that the upcoming handset will be powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which the company had already announced. Further, the Nothing A024 model number is already confirmed to be designated to the Nothing Phone 3.

The octa-core SoC may be paired with approximately 14.91GB of RAM, which could be rounded off to 16GB. This suggests that Nothing may offer its upcoming flagship smartphone with up to 16GB of RAM, a first for the company. The phone is listed as running Android 15 and has a motherboard with “sun” as the identifier.

Benchmark scores for the Nothing Phone 3 also give us an idea of what to expect from the handset in terms of the performance upon its launch. In the Geekbench 6.4.0 for Android AArch64 benchmarking test, it registered single and multi-core scores of 2,067 and 6,577 points, respectively.

The Nothing Phone 3 will be launched in India on July 1 and will be manufactured locally. CEO Carl Pei previously revealed that the upcoming handset, being the company’s flagship offering, will cost around GBP 800 (roughly Rs. 90,000).

Thus, it may cost double of what the current flagship, the Nothing Phone 2, which was priced at Rs. 44,999 at launch for the base 8GB + 128GB model.

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WhatsApp Introduces Meta AI-Powered Message Summaries to Catch Up on Unread Messages

Jun 26, 2025

WhatsApp on Wednesday rolled out a new artificial intelligence (AI)-backed feature which can summarise messages for you. Dubbed Message Summaries, it leverages Meta AI to help users catch up on unread texts. As per Meta, the feature uses a new technology called Private Processing, which is claimed to keep the message from being read by anyone else in the chat, including Meta. On WhatsApp, users can also use Advanced Chat Privacy to highlight only select texts which they need to summarise.

Message Summaries on WhatsApp

In a blog post, WhatsApp detailed its new Message Summaries feature. Available in individual and group chats, it is said to be completely optional and is turned off by default. Message Summaries are generated by Meta AI in a bulleted list view when tapping the Unread messages icon in a chat.

The condensed message window carries the text “visible only to you” and is protected by Private Processing, as per the instant messaging client. It allows Meta AI to generate responses without letting the chatbot, or WhatsApp itself, ever read the messages or the AI-powered summaries.

Message Summaries on WhatsApp are initially rolling out to users in the US in the English language. It will be expanded to include more languages and regions later this year, as per the company.

How It Works

Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, explains that Private Processing is a computing infrastructure built on top of the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). The security measure lets people interact with the AI chatbot in a private cloud environment. It uses a threat model and is designed with three foundational requirements.

The first is confidential processing, which mandates that Private Processing be built in such a way that prevents any other first or third-party system from accessing the user data while in processing or in transit to the computing infrastructure.

Next is enforceable guarantees, which means if a threat actor attempts to modify the confidential processing guarantee, the system will shutdown and prevent further operation, or the modification will become publicly discoverable via verifiable transparency, which is also the third foundational requirement.

Foundational requirements mandates users and security researchers to be able to audit Private Processing to verify the security and privacy claims made by Meta. Further, non-targetability and stateless processing and forward security are two additional layers of requirements treated as core to Private Processing on WhatsApp.

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Upcoming Smartphones in July 2025: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Nothing Phone 3, OnePlus Nord 5 and More

Jun 26, 2025

July is shaping up to be an exciting month for phone enthusiasts in India. Several flagship-grade and mid-tier handsets are expected to make their debut this month. The Nothing Phone 3 is the first premium smartphone that will be launched. Meanwhile, Samsung’s flagship foldables smartphones — the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 — will be unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event. OnePlus too is expected to announce the OnePlus Nord 5 and the OnePlus Nord CE 5 in July, whereas we also have confirmation of Vivo launching a couple of new handsets.

So, if you’re considering a new smartphone purchase, then it might be prudent to wait just a little longer. Here’s our list of the upcoming smartphones in July 2025 to present you with a clearer picture of what’s to come and help you make an informed buying decision.

Nothing Phone 3

When: July 1

The first on our list is the Nothing Phone 3, which is claimed to be the “first true flagship smartphone” from the UK-based OEM. The Phone 3 is rumoured to sport a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED screen with a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It will be equipped with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, offering 36 percent improvement in CPU performance compared to its predecessor, the Nothing Phone 2. The company promises five years of Android OS updates and seven years of security patches.

For optics, the handset may have a triple rear camera setup comprising a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. It is expected to pack a 5,150mAh battery with 100W fast charging support.

Display: 6.7-inch, LTPO OLED

Processor: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

RAM and Storage: To be announced (TBA)

Rear Cameras: 50-megapixel (main) + 50-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 50-megapixel (telephoto)

Front Cameras: 50-megapixel

Battery: 5,150mAh, 100W

Operating System: Android 15-based Nothing OS 3.5

OnePlus Nord 5

When: July 8

OnePlus Nord 5 series will soon go official in India comprising two models. The first one is the OnePlus Nord 5, which is reported to debut with a 6.83-inch full-HD+ (1,272×2,800 pixels) AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It is confirmed to get a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC under the hood, complemented by up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. OnePlus says it will support up to 144fps gaming, courtesy of the 7,300sq mm vapour chamber.

The company has also announced that its upcoming handset will sport a dual rear camera unit, including a 50-megapixel main camera with a Sony LYT-700 sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle shooter with a 116-degree field-of-view (FoV). It will also have a 50-megapixel front-facing camera with a Samsung JN5 sensor. Both front and rear cameras will support video recording in up to 4K resolution.

It is expected to pack a 5,200mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC charging support.

Display: 6.83-inch, full HD+ AMOLED

Processor: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

RAM and Storage: Up to 12GB (RAM), Up to 512GB (Storage)

Rear Cameras: 50-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide)

Front Cameras: 50-megapixel

Battery: 5,200mAh, 80W

Operating System: Android 15-based OxygenOS 15

OnePlus Nord CE 5

When: July 8

The OnePlus Nord CE 5 is another handset in the Nord 5 series. It is expected to sport a 6.77-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,392 pixels) AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. A MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset could power the handset, paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage.

In the camera department, it is expected to get the same rear cameras as the OnePlus Nord 5. Meanwhile, the handset may have a 16-megapixel front camera for selfies and video calls. The OnePlus Nord CE 5 could also pack the same battery and charging speed as its elder sibling.

Display: 6.77-inch, full HD+ AMOLED

Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 8350

RAM and Storage: 8GB (RAM), Up to 256GB (Storage)

Rear Cameras: 50-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide)

Front Cameras: 16-megapixel

Battery: 5,200mAh, 80W

Operating System: Android 15-based OxygenOS 15

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

When: July 9

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is part of the next-generation of foldables from the South Korean tech conglomerate. It could be equipped with an 8-inch inner screen and a 6.5-inch cover display. At 4.5mm when unfolded, it is expected to be nearly 1.1mm thinner than its predecessor.

As per the reports, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 may be powered by the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. Samsung could offer the foldable handset with 12GB of RAM and in three storage configurations — 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. For optics, it is reported to have a 200-megapixel main camera headlining a triple camera unit.

Leaks also suggest that the phone will debut with the same 4,400mAh battery as the Galaxy Z Fold 6, with charging speed capped at 25W.

Display: 8-inch (main), 6.5-inch (cover)

Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

RAM and Storage: 12GB (RAM), Up to 1TB (Storage)

Rear Cameras: 200-megapixel (main)

Front Cameras: TBA

Battery: 4,400mAh, 25W

Operating System: Android 16-based One UI 8

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

When: July 9

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be joined by the Galaxy Z Flip 7. It is expected to sport a 6.8-inch main screen and 4-inch cover screen. The handset will likely adopt a dual-chip strategy, powered by an Exynos 2500 or a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, depending on the market it’ll be sold in. It may be complemented by 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of onboard storage.

In the camera department, Samsung could equip the Galaxy Z Flip 7 with a dual rear camera setup including a 50-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle shooter. The foldable handset may house a 4,300mAh battery with 25W wired charging speed.

Display: 6.8-inch (main), 4-inch (cover)

Processor: Exynos 2500/ Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

RAM and Storage: 12GB (RAM), Up to 512GB (Storage)

Rear Cameras: 50-megapixel (main) + 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)

Front Cameras: TBA

Battery: 4,300mAh, 25W

Operating System: Android 16-based One UI 8

Vivo X200 FE

When: Mid-July

The Vivo X200 FE recently made its debut in Taiwan and could soon mark its entry in the Indian market too. The global variant features a 6.31-inch 1.5K (1,216×2,640 pixels) AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ SoC with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB UFS 3.1 onboard storage.

For optics, the handset has a triple rear camera unit, comprising a 50-megapixel Zeiss IMX921 main camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto lens and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. On the front, it has a 50-megapixel camera for selfies and video calls. The Vivo X200 FE is backed by a 6,500mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging.

Display: 6.31-inch, 1.5K AMOLED

Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 9300+

RAM and Storage: 12GB LPDDR5X (RAM), Up to 512GB UFS 3.1 (Storage)

Rear Cameras: 50-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 50-megapixel (telephoto)

Front Cameras: 50-megapixel

Battery: 6,500mAh, 90W

Operating System: Android 15-based Funtouch OS 15

Vivo X Fold 5

When: Mid-July

Vivo is also expected to launch the X Fold 5 as the successor to X Fold 3. The foldable handset may feature an 8.03-inch 8T LTPO inner display and a 6.53-inch cover screen, with a 120Hz refresh rate. It is rumoured to pack a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage.

Vivo could equip the X Fold 5 with a triple rear camera unit, comprising a 50-megapixel main camera with a Sony IMX921 sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto shooter with a Sony IMX882 sensor. The Vivo X Fold 5 is expected to pack a 6,000mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging.

Display: 8.03-inch (main) 8T LTPO, 6.53-inch (cover)

Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

RAM and Storage: 16GB (RAM), 512GB (Storage)

Rear Cameras: 50-megapixel (main) + 50-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 50-megapixel (telephoto)

Front Cameras: TBA

Battery: 6,000mAh, 90W

Operating System: Android 15-based Funtouch OS 15

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NASA and ISRO Confirm Japan’s Moon Lander Resilience Crashed at Mare Frigoris

Jun 25, 2025

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter have captured images of Japan’s Resilience lunar lander after it suffered a catastrophic crash on the Moon. Resilience, developed by private firm ispace, had been attempting to touch down in the Mare Frigoris region on June 5. The lander was carrying scientific experiments and a small European lunar rover, Tenacious, slated to deploy an art model on the surface. Contact was lost about 100 seconds before the planned touchdown, and the new images show debris scattered around the impact site. These images provide the first confirmation of Resilience’s fate.

Crash site images reveal debris field

According to the captured crash site image by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on June 11, 2025, there is a dark smudge of disturbed regolith where Resilience hit the surface. India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter captured follow-up images on June 16 showing the debris field in greater detail. Astronomy experts identified at least a dozen fragments of the lander and its small rover Tenacious in these photos.

One enthusiast catalogued at least 12 separate debris items, though their exact spread is unclear. A faint bright halo of ejected dust surrounds the smudge, consistent with a violent impact. These detailed views provide clues to investigators piecing together how Resilience broke apart on impact.

Laser rangefinder fault pinpointed as cause

Resilience’s onboard laser altimeter began lagging about 100 seconds before landing, causing the descent to proceed too fast. On June 24, ispace confirmed that this rangefinder malfunction during descent prevented the lander from decelerating to the planned touchdown speed. The hard impact “likely tore the spacecraft apart” and destroyed all scientific payloads.

Investigators are examining factors like lunar surface reflectivity or hardware degradation as possible triggers of the failure. Resilience was ispace’s second Hakuto-R moon lander; its predecessor (April 2023) likewise crash-landed. CEO Takeshi Hakamada said the company is working on fixes and “will not let this be a setback” as it pursues future lunar missions.

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Honor X9c India Launch Confirmed; to Get 108-Megapixel Rear Camera, 1.5K Curved AMOLED Display

Dying Light: Retouched Update Rolls Out June 26, Bringing Graphical Enhancements

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Supermassive Black Hole Burps Matter at Near-Light Speeds After Consuming Gas Too Fast

Jun 25, 2025

A distant supermassive black hole has stunned astronomers by expelling matter at speeds nearing a third of light velocity after consuming material at an extreme rate. Designated PG1211+143, this cosmic powerhouse lies in a Seyfert galaxy 1.2 billion light-years away and boasts a mass 40 million times greater than the Sun. Researchers using the ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray telescope tracked an influx of gas equivalent to 10 Earths over just five weeks, only to find the black hole burping out excess matter at around 0.27 times the speed of light.

Supermassive Black Hole’s Outflows May Halt Star Formation and Alter Galaxy Evolution Permanently

As per a report in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, these ultra-fast outflows followed the inflow by a delay of a few days, heating the surrounding active galactic nucleus (AGN) to millions of degrees. The radiation pressure generated was powerful enough to push out surrounding gas, potentially starving the black hole’s galaxy of star-forming material. This feedback loop, scientists suggest, might represent the transition from active star-birth sites to galaxies entering a quieter period.

The winds ejected at more than 181 million mph most likely blew away clouds of cold gas, which were necessary for stellar births. The evidence found allowed Pounds to observe a black hole as it grew, even though there is not much matter to feed the black hole, even if it is large.

This discovery can enable people to understand the influence of quasars and AGNs on galaxy life cycles. High-speed ejections of outflowing matter paralyse the star-formation process and turn star-forming regions into barren space. However, additional monitoring in pursuit to determine their frequency and global pattern of cosmic evolution.

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Amazon’s Kuiper Launches 27 Satellites, Eyes 2025 LEO Broadband Rollout

Jun 25, 2025

Demand for broadband connectivity is driving a surge in satellite constellations in low Earth orbit (LEO). LEO systems offer lower-latency links to remote areas and the potential to connect underserved communities. Amazon’s Project Kuiper and SpaceX’s Starlink head this wave. GeekWire notes that each Kuiper launch is “another significant step toward competing with SpaceX’s global Starlink network”, and Amazon is joining a “growing list of companies” seeking to challenge Starlink in the rapidly evolving LEO broadband arena. Indeed, filings show Amazon expects Kuiper to begin offering service by 2025.

Project Kuiper’s Ambitious Launch Plans

According to Amazon, Kuiper project is now moving into full deployment. It first flew two prototype satellites in late 2023, and on April 28, 2025 it launched 27 production satellites aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. Kuiper aims for roughly a 3,200-satellite constellation, and Amazon has pre-booked dozens of heavy-lift launches to build it. For example, Space.com reports Kuiper will require “more than 3,200 satellites… after 83 launches on Atlas V, ULA’s Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn and Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rockets”. In December 2023 Amazon also secured three SpaceX Falcon 9 launches. These multi-provider launch contracts (costing many billions) are intended to spread schedule risk and ensure Kuiper’s constellation is delivered on time.

Amazon expects to begin customer service in late 2025, driving its schedule. To meet this timeline, it has reserved dozens of launch slots on Atlas V, ULA’s new Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Arianespace’s Ariane 6 and even SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. These commitments ensure the required satellites will launch quickly to meet Amazon’s deployment milestones.

Global Competition in LEO Broadband

SpaceX’s Starlink leads with over 7,600 satellites already in orbit. SpaceX has flown dozens of Starlink launches this year to expand coverage. Meanwhile, rivals aim even higher: China’s state-backed Guowang project plans roughly 13,000 satellites, and the Shanghai-led “Thousand Sails” (Qianfan) network targets about 14,000. SpaceNews noted that these Chinese launches “advance [China’s] ambitious LEO network to rival Starlink and other global systems”. This worldwide build-out underscores that LEO broadband is evolving into a critical new domain of internet infrastructure.

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Soviet Venus Probe Kosmos-482 Re-enters Earth’s Atmosphere After 52 Years, Location Unclear

Jun 25, 2025

More than five decades after orbiting the Earth, the Soviet-era Venus probe Kosmos-482 re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on May 10, 2025, this time perplexing scientists about its precise re-entry. The mission was first flung into space in 1972, but a rocket failure left the probe stuck in high orbit around Earth instead of sending it on a course to Venus. The spacecraft’s descent capsule, which weighed about 495 kilograms, is believed to have fallen to Earth in the Indian Ocean, off Jakarta. However, various tracking models pointed to different locations of the exact impact, evidencing the severe limitations of predicting re-entries of space debris.

Tracking Soviet Probe Kosmos-482’s Reentry Exposes Gaps in Space Object Forecasting Models

As per a report from Space.com, other organisations, including Roscosmos, the U.S. Department of Defence, and the European Space Agency, made conflicting predictions demonstrating just how hard it is to estimate when a space object will re-enter. The module’s robust design—built to withstand Venus’s intense conditions—likely enabled it to survive reentry, but atmospheric variability, object orientation, and solar activity complicated tracking efforts.

Experts suggest Kosmos-482’s descent illustrates the need for improved reentry models. “Even a small deviation can translate into thousands of kilometres on Earth’s surface,” noted Aerospace Corporation’s Marlon Sorge. The “oddball” shape of the lander and its ability to possibly skip across atmospheric layers further blurred precise modelling.

Some scientists, like Pavel Shubin, believe the capsule could still be afloat, while others argue it may have sunk beyond recovery. With reentry predictions still confounded by “unhelpful physics” and data gaps, Kosmos-482 serves as a reminder that better tools and open-source collaboration, like TU Delft’s Tudat, may be crucial to future space traffic safety and planetary defence.

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MindsEye Developer Build a Rocket Boy Confirms It Has Started Layoff Process

Tecno Spark Go 2 With 5,000mAh Battery, Free Link App Support Launched in India: Price, Specifications

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