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Heads up, Elon? AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based startup that designs and manufactures satellites with aims of challenging companies like SpaceX, saw its stock price shoot closer to the moon after it announced second-quarter earnings on Monday. The catalyst appears to be that the companys plan to deploy as many as five dozen satellites into orbit by next year is actually taking flight, and is fully funded, per AST’s earnings report. We are confirming our fully-funded plan to deploy 45 to 60 satellites into orbit by 2026 to support continuous service in the US, Europe, Japan, and other strategic markets, including the U.S. Government,” Abel Avellan, founder and CEO, said in a statement. “We also have planned orbital launches every one to two months on average during 2025 and 2026.” At the same time, the company reported widening losses of $99.4 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $72.6 million for the same period last year. Shares in AST SpaceMobile Inc (Nasdaq: ASTS) were up almost 13% in premarket trading on Tuesday as of this writing. Half dozen satellites already in orbit The company currently has six satellites in orbit, Avellan added, so the deployment of dozens more would signify a huge increase in its current presence in space. Its goal is to create a space-based cellular broadband network to rival SpaceX’s Starlink, which could help connect smartphones and computers to the internet in areas where terrestrial coverage gaps exist. We are on target to complete 40 satellites equivalent of microns by early 2026 to support full voice, data, and video space-based cellular broadband services, Avellan said. Starlink is only one of several potential rivals in this space, however. For instance, Apple is currently backing Globalstar, while Amazon has Project Kuiper. In all, it seems that space is about to get less emptyat least in orbit, where numerous companies are competing for an advantage.
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E-Commerce
The credit card rewards market has become a high-stakes battleground in 2025, with issuers rolling out new benefits and revamped product lines to attract or retain affluent, travel-focused customers. In some cases, though, the upgrades come with dramatic fee hikes. In recent weeks, JPMorgan Chase announced a substantial overhaul of its Chase Sapphire Reserve offering, including a fee increase from $550 to $795 per year and the launch of a business version of the card. American Express has signaled a major refresh of its Platinum Card by years end, including upgrades to its Centurion Lounges and a new Sidecar fast-format lounge concept in Las Vegas. Citi, meanwhile, has reentered the ultra-premium market with the $595 Strata Elite Card, boasting a $1,500 estimated annual value through hotel, travel, and lifestyle credits. Against this backdrop, Capital One is taking a markedly different approach: extending new travel benefits to customers of its no-annual-fee rewards cards. Expanding benefits without raising fees Starting August 12, new cardholders of Capital Ones VentureOne, Quicksilver, and Savor products will receive a $100 Capital One Travel creditthe first time the bank has offered a travel credit on these no-fee cards. That comes in addition to existing sign-up bonuses: 20,000 miles for VentureOne or $200 cash back for Quicksilver and Savor after spending $500 in the first three months. The move is paired with a large expansion of the Capital One Travel platform, which now offers access to more than 500,000 vacation rental properties and 180,000-plus bookable activities and excursions. Those can be reserved directly through Capital One Travel, earning cardholders 5x rewards on bookings. The curated experiences range from wine tours in Napa, California, to private boat charters in the Caribbeansignaling a push toward personalized, experiential travel. All three cards now also include complimentary Five Star status with the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program. Perks include access to a wider selection of vehicles, complimentary upgrades when available, and the ability to bypass the rental counter at select locations. A contrarian strategy in the rewards arms race While competitors are focusing on the upper end of the marketand justifying triple-digit annual fees with expanded lounge access, premium status perks, and lifestyle creditsCapital Ones latest move targets a broader swath of consumers: those who value travel benefits but arent willing to commit to high annual fees. By offering benefits traditionally reserved for higher-tier products, the bank can entice casual travelers to book through its proprietary platform, increasing transaction volume and cross-selling opportunities without the friction of an annual fee. This could be especially relevant as inflation and economic uncertainty make consumers, including those who travel regularly, more cost-conscious. According to a 2024 JD Power report, more than 60% of rewards cardholders cited no annual fee as a top priority when considering a new card, while still ranking travel perks among the most desired benefits. Competitive implications Capital Ones timing is notable. Chases Sapphire Reserve fee hike may prompt some cardholders to reevaluate whether theyre fully utilizing their premium benefits. Amexs forthcoming Platinum refresh and Citis Strata Elite launch are both aimed squarely at high-spending travelers, potentially leaving an opening for Capital One to appeal to consumers who are priced out of the premium tier. By expanding its no-fee travel offerings while maintaining premium-like features, Capital One is betting that it can capture spend from travelers who are increasingly strategic about card benefitsand less inclined to pay $600 to $800 per year for access.
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E-Commerce
The Perseid meteor shower, known for its plentiful meteors and bright fireballs that blaze across the night sky, will peak tonight, August 12 to 13, 2025. The moon will be bright, but you’ll still be able to see a stunning display in dark areas. Heres what to know about this skywatching event, and how you can catch the show. Why the Perseids are popular The Perseids always make for an impressive show. Skywatchers in dark areas can observe around 50 meteors per hour at the showers peak. This includes both traditional meteors that leave vibrant streaks in their wakes, as well as the occasional bright fireball of color and light. This isnt necessarily the most active meteor shower (the Geminids and Quadrantids vie for that honor), but because the Perseids occur during warm summer nights in the Northern Hemisphere, they are very popular. The meteor shower is also visible from parts of the Southern Hemisphere, but the view is diminished. The moon will be bright Unfortunately, the moon will be in its waning gibbous phase, rising during the late evening, which will hamper views of the Perseid meteor shower. The moons brightness means that to see any significant number of meteors, you should travel to the darkest sky possible. Even at a dark sky site, you will likely see fewer than the 50 meteors per hour estimated at the showers peak. When is the best time to see the meteor shower? The radiant, or the point in the sky from which the shower appears to originate, is the Perseus constellation, which will be low in Northern Hemisphere skies in the evening. That means that the ideal time to see the shower is in the predawn hours, between 3 and 5 a.m. local time, when Perseus has risen higher in the night sky. Where does the Perseid meteor shower come from? While the Perseids are named after their radiant, they dont actually come from the Perseus constellation. Instead, they are the product of the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which has an orbital period of 133 years. When comets travel through our solar system around the sun, they leave a trail of dust and debris in their wake. When Earth travels through these trails, that is what produces meteor showers, which is why they are relatively reliable nighttime events every year. This year, Earth travels through 109P/Swift-Tuttles trail from July 17 through August 24. The peak, though, is when Earth travels through the core of that trail, which produces the most brilliant and concentrated meteor showers of the entire event. With a keen eye, it is possible to continue to see the occasional Perseid meteor in the night sky through the end of August.
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E-Commerce
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