The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceXAI a $2.29 billion fixed-price Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract to develop the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, a proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite constellation designed for secure, high-speed military communications.

The agreement covers the SDN Backbone, a resilient network architecture providing high-capacity, low-latency data transport for connecting military sensors and weapons platforms globally. SpaceXAI must deliver a fully operational prototype capability by the end of 2027.

The system utilizes an expanded optically interconnected mesh of satellites to deliver worldwide low latency tactical communications and broadband services, functioning alongside the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Transport Layer to form a unified Department of Defense data transport architecture.

The network is foundational to the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, providing the communications pathways to move data from missile warning sensors to interceptors in near real time.

While SpaceX is currently the sole provider for the backbone (formerly known as MILNET), the Space Force plans to identify additional contractors for satellite construction and other network elements to galvanize the U.S. industrial base.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday, to "crush" Hezbollah and intensify airstrikes in Lebanon, while U.S. Central Command conducted defensive strikes against Iranian targets in Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz in response to mine-laying activities.

Netanyahu announced he would "increase the blows" and firepower against Hezbollah, citing the group's use of fiber-optic drones to attack Israeli forces. The Israeli Air Force struck more than 70 Hezbollah sites, including command centers and weapons depots in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, as it launched Operation Arrows of Fire.

Residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs were seen fleeing as evacuation orders were issued for villages in southern Lebanon; Israeli strikes reportedly killed three people in the region.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire with Iran that took effect in April, Israel maintains that the agreement does not cover Hezbollah, leading to continued cross-border hostilities and accusations of ceasefire violations from both sides.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed support for Hezbollah, while in Doha, Qatar, with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Monday, to discuss terms for a regional settlement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli security elites, Jewish supremacists in government and political commentators have criticized Netanyahu’s alignment with US diplomatic efforts, warning that a deal could empower Iran and damage Israel’s strategic position.

Meanwhile the US military launched strikes on southern Iran, targeting Revolutionary Guard(IRGC) vessels and a surface-to-air missile(SAM) site in Bandar Abbas, which it described as defensive actions against threats to US forces. Targets included Bandar Abbas airport, Shahid Bahonar pier, and possibly Mount Mubarak in Jask.

"U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," CENTCOM's Captain Tim Hawkins said. "Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire"

The attacks followed reports that Iranian boats were laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil transport. Two IRGC Navy speedboats were reportedly attacked last night. Iran reportedly responded by downing about two US MQ-9 drones, and firing at U.S. warships in the Gulf of Oman, which then allegedly triggered American strikes on the eastern side of Bandar Abbas and the activation of Iranian air defenses.

US officials said the strikes were conducted "with restraint" during the ongoing ceasefire and did not indicate its collapse, though explosions were heard across the region.

These military actions occurred simultaneously with high-stakes peace talks between the US and Iran, led by Trump’s administration, which is pushing for Iran to hand over or destroy its enriched uranium stockpile under IAEA oversight.

President Donald Trump appeared to soften US position on the fate of the highly enriched Uranium stockpile in Iran, which he had demanded be handed over to the US in any future peace deal.

"The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote on Truth Social early morning Tuesday.

The US president on Monday, also issued a lengthy Truth Social post, saying he had spoken with Gulf Arab leaders and stipulated that any deal to end the Iran war should require them to sign the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and a handful of Middle Eastern countries. A demand rejected out of hand by officials in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Monday.

Strait of Hormuz blockade have caused oil prices to fluctuate, with West Texas Intermediate falling below $91.33 a barrel on optimism for a deal, while Brent crude remained near $97.68.

SpaceX successfully launched Starship Flight 12 on Friday, (May 22), at 2230 UTC, marking the debut of the Starship V3 megarocket from the new Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. The 407-foot-tall (124 meters) vehicle, generating up to 18 million pounds of thrust, completed its 12th suborbital test flight, achieving most primary objectives despite minor engine anomalies.

The first notable event after the rocket cleared the tower occurred about 2 minutes and 20 seconds into flight, when Super Heavy initiated "hot staging" and separation from Ship. (It's known as hot staging because Ship begins firing its engines before separating from Super Heavy.)

The Super Heavy booster (first stage or Booster 19) experienced a single Raptor engine shutdown during ascent and failed to complete its planned "boost back" burn due to additional engine irregularities, resulting in a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico short of the target.

Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage (Ship 39) also lost one of its six Raptor engines during ascent but compensated by keeping the remaining five active longer, successfully reaching an acceptable suborbital trajectory.

"I wouldn't call it nominal orbital insertion, but we're in on a trajectory that we had analyzed, and it's within bounds," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said in live commentary. "So, teams continuing to work through it with that engine out there, working some through some steps on the engines."

After stage separation, Super Heavy reoriented and attempted to perform a one-minute boostback burn toward Starbase. However, something went wrong and the burn didn't go as planned, Huot said.

"The booster didn't complete its full boost back," Huot said just after lifotff. "Its mission ended a little bit early, but landed in the clear area that we had set in advance."

During the suborbital cruise phase, Starship deployed 22 payloads, including 20 dummy Starlink satellites and two modified Starlink spacecraft ("Dodger Dogs"). These two satellites carried cameras that captured images of the Starship heat shield tiles, providing data to assess thermal protection integrity for future missions. A planned in-space re-ignition of a Raptor engine was skipped due to the earlier engine loss.

Shortly after the final two Starlink simulators deployed (the ones with cameras that SpaceX nicknamed "Dodger Dogs" after the famed hotdogs at Dodger Stadium), SpaceX broadcast the spectactular video they captured as they flew away from Starship.

"That is a Starship in space," Huot said.

"Congratulations SpaceX team on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing!," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X after the launch. "You scored a goal for humanity."

Ship 39 began its reentry to Earth's atmosphere about 50 minutes into the flight, falling as its belly became engulfed in a bright plasma. During its descent, Ship 39 performed a series of exercises designed to stress parts of the vehicle to their structural limit. It also executed a novel banking maneuver for its landing burn meant to mimic the trajectory and orientation needed for a launch tower catch on a return to Starbase.

Huge cheers rang out at SpaceX's headquareters and Starbase facilities as the Ship 39 ignited two engines for a final landing burn. The manuever initially called for three engines, but that one shut down early at liftoff. After the landing, Starship toppled over into the ocean waters and exploded in a magnificent fireball (again, as planned) as SpaceX workers cheered.

Friday'he launch occurred following delays Thursday, caused by a stuck hydraulic pin and weather.

Starship V3 features significant upgrades over its predecessors, including Raptor 3 engines, larger fuel tanks, and docking ports for in-orbit refueling—a critical capability for NASA’s Artemis moon landing program.

Unlike its V2 predecessor, which featured an interstage ring that fell away at separation, Starship V3 is built with similar hardware secured to the top of the booster, like a fence around the fuel tank's dome to give some breathing room to the upper stage engines' ignition and initial thrust away from the booster.

The vehicle is designed to be fully reusable, with NASA targeting Starship as the lunar lander for Artemis 3 (scheduled for 2027/2028). "We're looking forward to seeing this thing fly, because hopefully at some point in the not too distant future we're gonna, we're gonna join up in an earth orbit," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who was present at the launch, said during the live comentary.

NASA is relying on Starship as one of the crewed lunar landers for its Artemis program, which aims to eventually establish a permanent human presence on the moon. The space agency has also contracted Blue Moon, a Blue Origin spacecraft, to land Artemis astronauts on the moon, and has indicated a willingness to fly with whichever private lander is ready when it's time for the missions to get off the ground.

The next of those missions is Artemis 3 — the follow-up to April's Artemis 2, which flew four astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft on a successful 10-day mission around the moon. NASA is targeting mid to late 2027 for Artemis 3, which will launch Orion to low Earth orbit (LEO) to rendezvous and dock with one or both of the private lunar landers, and late 2028 for the first lunar landing on Artemis 4.

After the launch, Isaacman hailed the work of SpaceX's Starship team.

"Congrats SpaceX team and Elon Musk on a hell of a V3 Starship launch," Isaacman wrote on X. "One step closer to the Moon ... one step closer to Mars."

Starship has a number of boxes to check before NASA certifies the vehicle to fly astronauts, but V3 has been built with those goalposts in mind. For example, NASA is requiring both Starship and Blue Moon to demonstrate uncrewed lunar landings before they fly astronauts down to the lunar surface, putting SpaceX and Blue Origin on a short timeline to ready vehicles for the planned Artemis 4 landing in 2028.

Flight 12 represents a major milestone ahead of SpaceX’s anticipated initial public offering (IPO) in June.