{
  "slug": "2026-11-06-evening-10",
  "title": "AST SpaceMobile Will Build Its Own Rocket With Firefly Engines, the Army Opens a $4.2 Billion Race to Build Ammunition Plants, and an AI Reads Health From the Way You Walk",
  "type": "evening",
  "label": "Evening Edition No. 10",
  "number": 10,
  "date": "2026-11-06T20:00:00-05:00",
  "summary": "AST SpaceMobile says it will build its own rocket, Blacklift, with Firefly engines in a deal of more than $1.3 billion, Thinking Machines Lab releases Inkling 2 Small, ESA's reusable Prometheus engine restarts on a new test stand, the Space Force picks Viasat to run the control room for its satellite data network, Wing plans a $125 million drone factory in Fort Worth, an AI model predicts health signs across 18 body systems from the way people walk, the Army opens a $4.17 billion contract to build new ammunition plants, the U.S. drops a plan to tighten the crypto Travel Rule, Nigeria's stablecoin rules take effect, and TSMC weighs making memory chips for Nvidia.",
  "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/",
  "markdown_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10.md",
  "json_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/api/v1/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10.json",
  "window_start": "2026-11-05T18:00:00-05:00",
  "window_end": "2026-11-06T18:00:00-05:00",
  "editor": "Dennis W. Davis",
  "byline": "Edited by Dennis W. Davis. AI-assisted; see How We Make This.",
  "hero_image": {
    "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/firefly-alpha-flight7-launch-1024.jpg",
    "credit": "Firefly Aerospace / Sean Parker",
    "alt": "Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in March 2026"
  },
  "in_60_seconds": [
    "AST SpaceMobile, which builds satellites that talk straight to ordinary phones, says it will build its own rocket, using engines from Firefly Aerospace.",
    "An AI model watched 3,328 adults walk and predicted signs of their health across 18 body systems, from belly fat to sleep.",
    "The Army opened a $4.17 billion contract for 11 companies to design and build new ammunition plants over the next five years.",
    "The U.S. dropped a 2020 plan that would have made banks and crypto firms collect names on international transfers as small as $250."
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "In 60 Seconds",
      "id": "in-60-seconds"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Lead Signal",
      "id": "lead-signal"
    },
    {
      "heading": "The Ticker",
      "id": "the-ticker"
    },
    {
      "heading": "The Desks",
      "id": "the-desks"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Watch",
      "id": "watch"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Voices",
      "id": "voices"
    },
    {
      "heading": "By the Numbers",
      "id": "by-the-numbers"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Tomorrow's Watchlist",
      "id": "tomorrows-watchlist"
    }
  ],
  "lead": {
    "title": "AST SpaceMobile will build its own rocket, Blacklift, with Firefly engines",
    "text": "AST SpaceMobile, a Texas company that builds huge satellites called BlueBirds that connect straight to ordinary cell phones, said Friday it will build its own rocket, named Blacklift, Payload reports. AST will buy engines from Firefly Aerospace in a deal worth more than $1.3 billion: about $800 million for a license to build Firefly's Miranda and Vira engines forever at a new U.S. factory ($400 million in cash plus 10 million to 14 million shares), $250 million for the engines for the first 3 rockets, and $250 million over 3 years for engineering help, Via Satellite reports. The first 3 rockets get 27 Miranda engines and 9 Vira engines, the version built to work in the near vacuum of space. Miranda has fired more than 175 times on the test stand, for over 4,200 seconds in all, and is rated at 230,000 pounds of thrust, Yahoo Finance reports. Each Blacklift is meant to carry up to 5 BlueBirds. Why build a rocket? AST wanted 45 BlueBirds in orbit by the end of 2026, but rides have been hard to get: Blue Origin's New Glenn is grounded, and its April flight left one BlueBird in an orbit it cannot use. AST CEO Abel Avellan called Blacklift \"the springboard to significantly expand our total addressable market.\" The first Blacklift missions are aimed at late 2028, and until then AST keeps its rides on other rockets. AST will show the rocket on Nov. 12 in New York City.",
    "why_it_matters": "satellites that reach regular phones could bring a signal to roads, farms, mountains and oceans where there are no cell towers today. Owning a rocket means AST does not have to wait in line for someone else's. It is a plan for now: the first flights are about two years away.",
    "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/firefly-alpha-flight7-launch-1024.jpg",
    "image_credit": "Firefly Aerospace / Sean Parker"
  },
  "ticker": [
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "AST SpaceMobile will build its own rocket, Blacklift, with Firefly engines, in a deal of more than $1.3 billion.",
      "why_it_matters": "satellite companies are tired of waiting for rides to space.",
      "source_url": "https://payloadspace.com/ast-spacemobile-to-build-new-blacklift-rocket/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "Europe's reusable Prometheus methane engine fired and restarted several times on an upgraded test stand in Germany.",
      "why_it_matters": "an engine that can restart is a key step toward rockets that land and fly again.",
      "source_url": "https://www.esa.int/articles/about-us/directorates/space-transportation/future-space-transportation/prometheus-reusable-rocket-engine-fires-up-at-improved-test-bench",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "SpaceX's Starship Flight 15, which will try to catch both its booster and its ship, is in final checks for no earlier than Nov. 13 and still needs FAA approval.",
      "why_it_matters": "catching both halves is the step toward a fully reusable rocket.",
      "source_url": "https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/11/starship-flight-15-awaits-faa/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "Italy's Avio scaled back its reusable rocket engine test program after technical trouble, with about 101 million euros of 217.5 million spent.",
      "why_it_matters": "Europe is still working to catch up on reusable rockets.",
      "source_url": "https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-scales-back-demonstrator-programme-amid-technical-challenges/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "No orbital launches flew worldwide in the window so far; the 2026 count stays at 257, with China's Ceres-2 and a Falcon 9 for the Space Force set for tonight.",
      "why_it_matters": "2026 is still on track to be the busiest year for launches ever.",
      "source_url": "https://ll.thespacedevs.com/2.3.0/launches/upcoming/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/orbit/",
      "text": "The Space Force picked Viasat to build the control room for its Space Data Network, a contract worth up to $450 million.",
      "why_it_matters": "satellites from different companies have to work together like one network.",
      "source_url": "https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/dod-taps-viasat-to-field-operations-center-for-golden-dome-satellite-data-relay-network/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/orbit/",
      "text": "Europe's Trace Gas Orbiter caught hydrogen chloride gas rising from fresh cracks on the Martian volcano Alba Mons, a hint that Mars may not be fully asleep.",
      "why_it_matters": "a planet with inner heat is a more interesting place to look for signs of life.",
      "source_url": "https://www.esa.int/articles/news-media/news/european-orbiter-detects-hints-of-volcanic-activity-on-mars",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/orbit/",
      "text": "Hubble shared a new picture of M30, a ball of ancient stars about 27,500 light-years away.",
      "why_it_matters": "old star clusters help astronomers work out the age of our galaxy.",
      "source_url": "https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/m30s-sparkling-stars/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/air/",
      "text": "Wing, Alphabet's drone delivery company, will spend up to $125 million on a drone factory in Fort Worth, Texas.",
      "why_it_matters": "more drones built at home means delivery can reach more towns.",
      "source_url": "https://wing.com/news/investing-in-american-innovation-aviation",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/air/",
      "text": "Axon, the police body camera maker, is putting $1.2 billion more into drone maker Skydio, and Axon's stock fell about 18% Friday after weak quarterly results. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "drones that fly to a 911 call before officers arrive are spreading fast.",
      "source_url": "https://dronexl.co/2026/11/06/axon-skydio-1-2-billion-exclusive-police-distributor/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/air/",
      "text": "Atlantic Aviation's vertiport company agreed to study landing spots around New York with Electra, whose planes need very short runways.",
      "why_it_matters": "quiet planes that land in small spaces need somewhere to land.",
      "source_url": "https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-11-05/atlantics-vertiport-venture-teams-electra",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AI",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/ai/",
      "text": "Thinking Machines Lab released Inkling 2 Small, a model that scores 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, and says it plans to share the full model next week.",
      "why_it_matters": "strong models anyone can download keep getting better.",
      "source_url": "https://thinkingmachines.ai/news/inkling-2-small/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AI",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/ai/",
      "text": "Gemini 4 Carbon (High) still holds the top score of 60 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.",
      "why_it_matters": "the leaderboard shows how fast the best models are improving.",
      "source_url": "https://artificialanalysis.ai/leaderboards/models",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "IBM turned on a Quantum System Two in Chicago, its first quantum computer in Illinois, to work on medicines, the power grid and physics.",
      "why_it_matters": "putting quantum computers near universities lets more scientists try them.",
      "source_url": "https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-11-06-ibm-unveils-its-most-advanced-quantum-computer-in-chicago,-marking-a-milestone-for-illinoiss-quantum-future",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "Chip stocks won back part of Thursday's big drop: AMD closed up about 11% and Nvidia up about 3%. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "investors are still deciding how much the AI boom is worth.",
      "source_url": "https://www.stocktitan.net/articles/stock-market-today-live-november-6-2026",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "Cloudflare, which helps websites run fast and safely, grew its quarterly revenue 39% to $782.5 million, and its stock rose about 10%. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "AI traffic is lifting the companies that carry the internet.",
      "source_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001477333/000147733326000060/q326exhibit991.htm",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "French quantum company Pasqal reported 3.3 million euros of third quarter revenue, down from 5.7 million, with 312.8 million euros in cash. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "quantum computing is still an early business with uneven sales.",
      "source_url": "https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/11/06/3397429/0/en/pasqal-reports-third-quarter-business-update.html",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/med/",
      "text": "An AI model in Nature Medicine predicted 1,887 health measures from 3D video of 3,328 people walking.",
      "why_it_matters": "the way you walk might one day become a simple health check.",
      "source_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04724-9",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/med/",
      "text": "A heart pill called HRS/BHB-1893 kept working for a year in people with a thickened heart muscle: 33 of 42 reached the target blood flow pressure.",
      "why_it_matters": "more medicines are coming for an inherited heart condition that makes people short of breath.",
      "source_url": "https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/11/06/3397865/0/en/hengrui-pharma-and-braveheart-bio-present-data-from-52-week-open-label-extension-of-phase-2-study-of-hrs-bhb-1893-in-obstructive-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-at-american-heart-assoc.html",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/med/",
      "text": "A drug called fazirsiran cut a harmful protein in the liver by a median of 89.6% in people with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.",
      "why_it_matters": "this inherited liver disease has no approved medicine of its own today.",
      "source_url": "https://hcplive.com/view/fazirsiran-reduces-liver-z-aat-burden-in-aatd-liver-disease",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/def/",
      "text": "The Army opened a $4.17 billion contract for 11 companies to design and build new Army ammunition plants.",
      "why_it_matters": "the Army is rebuilding old factories to make supplies faster.",
      "source_url": "https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4642767/contracts-for-nov-5-2026/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/def/",
      "text": "Amentum won a $609 million contract to supply at least 500 extra workers to Army repair depots.",
      "why_it_matters": "new factories also need people to run them.",
      "source_url": "https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4642767/contracts-for-nov-5-2026/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/def/",
      "text": "The Navy hired Vigor Marine for an $18.1 million, 59 day overhaul of the hospital ship USNS Mercy in early 2027.",
      "why_it_matters": "Mercy is one of only two floating hospitals the Navy has.",
      "source_url": "https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4642767/contracts-for-nov-5-2026/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/policy/",
      "text": "The Treasury's FinCEN and the Federal Reserve withdrew a 2020 plan to lower the Travel Rule limit on international transfers from $3,000 to $250.",
      "why_it_matters": "it decides how much personal information banks and crypto firms must collect on small transfers.",
      "source_url": "https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-announces-withdrawal-proposed-rule-related-recordkeeping-and-travel-rule",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/policy/",
      "text": "Forty-five state attorneys general asked Congress to pass the Senate's Kids Online Safety Act.",
      "why_it_matters": "Congress returns Nov. 9 with little time left to pass it this year.",
      "source_url": "https://www.biometricupdate.com/202611/45-attorneys-general-back-kosa-as-age-verification-question-remains-open",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/policy/",
      "text": "California's privacy agency proposed rules so one \"do not sell my data\" setting in your browser covers every device linked to you.",
      "why_it_matters": "one switch could protect your data everywhere instead of site by site.",
      "source_url": "https://cppa.ca.gov/meetings/materials/20261105_06_09_text.pdf",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "Nigeria's central bank stablecoin rules took effect, requiring offshore issuers to get a local license. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "Nigeria is one of the world's busiest places for digital dollars.",
      "source_url": "https://unchainedcrypto.com/nigerias-central-bank-now-requires-offshore-stablecoin-issuers-to-license-locally/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "Hawkeye Digital plans to put its own shares on the Ethereum blockchain with Securitize, with the same dividends and votes. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "more companies are trying shares that live on a blockchain.",
      "source_url": "https://www.01net.it/hawkeye-digital-partners-with-securitize-to-tokenize-its-shares/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "A CFTC staff letter lets clearinghouses use trust companies, including crypto-focused ones, to settle trades. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "digital asset firms are moving into the plumbing of regular markets.",
      "source_url": "https://natlawreview.com/article/cftc-opens-settlement-path-digital-asset-trust-companies",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "Tokenized real-world assets stood at $39.36 billion, down from $39.70 billion on Thursday, per RWA.xyz. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "the total moves with markets, but stays near record highs.",
      "source_url": "https://app.rwa.xyz/",
      "video_id": null
    }
  ],
  "desk_items": [
    {
      "beat": "AI",
      "desk": "AI Models",
      "title": "Thinking Machines Lab releases Inkling 2 Small and promises to share it with everyone next week",
      "text": "Thinking Machines Lab, the AI company started by former OpenAI leader Mira Murati, released Inkling 2 Small, a new AI model, on its Tinker platform. It is a mixture of experts model, which means it is built from many smaller specialist parts and only a few switch on for each word: it has 594 billion parameters, the adjustable settings an AI learns, but uses only 17 billion at a time, its model card shows. It can look at pictures, think harder when asked, and read up to 1 million tokens, about 750,000 words, at once. It scores 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, up from 13 for the model before it, and costs about $1.18 per test task, The Decoder reports. The rate of made-up answers fell from 61% to 27%, though mostly because it now declines to answer more often. In one demo, the model trained a smaller AI on its own in 4 hours 17 minutes, for $426 of a $500 budget. The lab said, \"We intend to make the full weights available under an Apache 2.0 license next week,\" after outside safety checks. Apache 2.0 is a license that lets anyone use and change the model for free, even in a business.",
      "why_it_matters": "when a strong model can be downloaded for free, schools, small companies and hobbyists can build with it without paying a big lab. This one also shows AI helping train other AI. The free download is a promise for next week, not here yet.",
      "source_url": "https://thinkingmachines.ai/news/inkling-2-small/",
      "sources": [
        "https://thinkingmachines.ai/news/inkling-2-small/",
        "https://thinkingmachines.ai/model-card/inkling-2-small/",
        "https://the-decoder.com/thinking-machines-inkling-2-small-claims-top-spot-among-western-open-weight-models/"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-thinking-machines-lab-releases-inkling-2-small-and-promise",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/inkling-2-small-lattice-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk": "Launches",
      "title": "Europe's reusable Prometheus engine fires and restarts on a new test stand",
      "text": "The European Space Agency's Prometheus engine fired up on an improved test stand at Lampoldshausen, Germany, in tests on Oct. 29 that ESA shared Friday. Prometheus burns methane and liquid oxygen, a fuel mix called methalox that leaves less soot, which makes an engine easier to fly again. It is about as powerful as the Vulcain 2.1 engine that lifts Europe's Ariane 6, and it is built to be reused. For these tests it used a new combustion chamber, the part where the fuel burns, made by cold gas spray, a way of building metal parts by blasting powder at high speed. It restarted several times without a separate high-pressure starter, which ESA calls a first in Europe for this kind of engine. ESA's Geraldine Naja said \"Prometheus has validated key technologies.\" ESA did not say how much thrust the engine made.",
      "why_it_matters": "rockets that land and fly again have made space trips much cheaper, and Europe does not fly one yet. An engine that can stop and start again is what a rocket needs to slow down and land. Europe's first reusable rockets are still years away.",
      "source_url": "https://www.esa.int/articles/about-us/directorates/space-transportation/future-space-transportation/prometheus-reusable-rocket-engine-fires-up-at-improved-test-bench",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.esa.int/articles/about-us/directorates/space-transportation/future-space-transportation/prometheus-reusable-rocket-engine-fires-up-at-improved-test-bench"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-europes-reusable-prometheus-engine-fires-and-restarts-on-a",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/esa-prometheus-hotfire-p5-1660.jpg",
      "image_credit": "ESA"
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk": "Satellites and Orbit",
      "title": "The Space Force picks Viasat to run the control room for its satellite data network",
      "text": "The Space Force and the Golden Dome office, which runs the U.S. plan for a layered shield against missiles, picked Viasat to build the Mission Operations Center for the Space Data Network Backbone, Breaking Defense reports. The backbone is a network of relay satellites in low Earth orbit that pass messages from many military satellites and ground stations. The contract is an IDIQ, a deal with a top value, here $450 million, where the government orders work in pieces as it needs it; the first order is $115 million, Space Systems Command says. The center will do three jobs: keep satellites from several companies working together, link forces on land, sea, air and space, and send the most urgent data first. If one path is crowded or jammed, it can steer data around it. Lt. Col. Alexa Eggert called it \"a crucial step in maturing our Space Data Network.\" Amazon Leo for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and York worked on earlier parts.",
      "why_it_matters": "satellites are only useful if their information gets where it needs to go, fast. A control room that can mix satellites from many makers makes the network harder to knock out. This is a contract to build it, and the work is just starting.",
      "source_url": "https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/dod-taps-viasat-to-field-operations-center-for-golden-dome-satellite-data-relay-network/",
      "sources": [
        "https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/dod-taps-viasat-to-field-operations-center-for-golden-dome-satellite-data-relay-network/",
        "https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article/4642795/ussf-in-partnership-with-golden-dome-for-america-expands-multi-vendor-space-dat"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-the-space-force-picks-viasat-to-run-the-control-room-for-i",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/space-data-network-ops-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk": "Air Mobility",
      "title": "Wing plans a $125 million drone factory in Fort Worth",
      "text": "Wing, the drone delivery company owned by Google's parent Alphabet, will invest up to $125 million over 2 years to build its drones in the United States, starting with a 15,000 square foot factory in Fort Worth, Texas. The factory can make tens of thousands of drones a year and bring up to 100 jobs, DroneLife reports. Wing has made more than 1 million home deliveries in the U.S. so far this year from more than 70 sites, and it aims to reach more than 40 million Americans in nearly 20 markets by 2027. In 2019 it became the first drone company to earn a Part 135 certificate, the FAA approval to carry goods for pay like an airline. Wing CEO Adam Woodworth said, \"The U.S. is our focus for growth.\"",
      "why_it_matters": "drones that bring a snack, a prescription or a phone charger in minutes can save a car trip. Building them close to home makes it easier to make lots of them. Wider flights still wait on the FAA's new rule for drones that fly out of the pilot's sight.",
      "source_url": "https://wing.com/news/investing-in-american-innovation-aviation",
      "sources": [
        "https://wing.com/news/investing-in-american-innovation-aviation",
        "https://dronelife.com/2026/11/06/wing-us-drone-manufacturing-investment/"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-wing-plans-a-125-million-drone-factory-in-fort-worth",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/wing-us-manufacturing-2000.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Wing"
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk": "Medicine",
      "title": "An AI model reads health signs across 18 body systems from the way people walk",
      "text": "Scientists from the Human Phenotype Project in Israel reported in Nature Medicine on Friday that an AI model can predict many health measures from how a person moves. They filmed 3,328 adults with a single depth camera, which sees in 3D, while each did 5 movement tasks. The model is a foundation model, a large AI trained on lots of data that can be used for many jobs, and it turned the motion of every joint into lists of numbers instead of the usual measures like stride length. Of 3,210 health measures tested, it predicted 1,887 better than chance. It came very close on body mass index and on belly fat, and it beat a simple guess based on age, weight, belly fat and height in all 18 body systems for men and 17 of 18 for women. Leg motion told the most about metabolism and frailty; the torso carried hints about sleep and lifestyle. Newton Tech, the company working with the team, said \"Movement contains far more biological information\" than standard tests record. These are links found in one group of people, and the model is not a medical test yet. Its code is free online for other scientists.",
      "why_it_matters": "a camera watching you walk across a room is cheaper and easier than a blood test or a scan. One day it could flag people who should see a doctor sooner. It needs testing in many more people before anyone relies on it.",
      "source_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04724-9",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04724-9",
        "https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/11/06/3397361/0/en/nature-medicine-publication-reveals-how-human-movement-predicts-hidden-biosignals-spanning-18-body-systems-from-heart-and-liver-function-to-metabolic-and-mental-health.html"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-an-ai-model-reads-health-signs-across-18-body-systems-from",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/gait-skeleton-model-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk": "Defense",
      "title": "The Army opens a $4.2 billion race to build new ammunition plants",
      "text": "The Army awarded a $4,171,491,000 contract on Thursday to design, build and start up new Army ammunition plants that the government owns and private companies run. It is a firm-fixed-price contract, meaning the price of each job is set up front, shared by 11 companies that will compete for each piece of work, including Clark Construction, Burns & McDonnell, Hensel Phelps, BAE Systems Ordnance Systems and Parsons. Where the plants go and how much each one costs will be set order by order, and the work runs to Nov. 4, 2031. The Army calls the goal modernizing its \"organic industrial base,\" the 23 arsenals, depots and ammunition plants it owns, and it spent more than $1 billion on that work in fiscal 2025, DVIDS reports. In the same list, Amentum won $609 million to supply at least 500 extra workers to Army depots. All the awards announced Thursday came to about $4.93 billion.",
      "why_it_matters": "many of the Army's factories are decades old, and demand for shells has grown. Newer plants could make supplies faster and more safely. This contract sets up the work; the actual plants will be chosen and built over five years.",
      "source_url": "https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4642767/contracts-for-nov-5-2026/",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4642767/contracts-for-nov-5-2026/",
        "https://www.dvidshub.net/news/567349/army-delivers-oib-transformation-update-capitol-hill"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-the-army-opens-a-4-2-billion-race-to-build-new-ammunition",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/scranton-ammo-plant-155mm-999.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Photo: Dori Whipple, Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, via DVIDS"
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk": "Law and Policy",
      "title": "The U.S. drops a plan to track crypto and international transfers as small as $250",
      "text": "FinCEN, the Treasury office that fights money laundering, and the Federal Reserve withdrew a 2020 proposal on Friday that would have tightened the Travel Rule. The Travel Rule makes banks and money services collect and pass along the names and details of senders and receivers on transfers of $3,000 or more. The old plan would have dropped that to $250 for transfers that start or end outside the U.S., and written crypto into the rule by name. It drew nearly 3,000 public comments, many worried about privacy and cost, crypto.news reports. The agencies said more than five years had passed and digital money had changed, and they could write a new plan later with a fresh chance to comment. Ji Hun Kim of the Crypto Council for Innovation called it the \"right call,\" The Block reports. It follows the Treasury's October withdrawal of separate rules for crypto wallets people hold themselves. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "this decides how much of your personal information has to travel with a money transfer. Keeping the limit at $3,000 means fewer forms for small payments to family abroad. The agencies can still propose a new rule later.",
      "source_url": "https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-announces-withdrawal-proposed-rule-related-recordkeeping-and-travel-rule",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-announces-withdrawal-proposed-rule-related-recordkeeping-and-travel-rule",
        "https://crypto.news/us-treasury-fed-withdraw-250-crypto-travel-rule-proposal-what-does-it-mean/",
        "https://www.theblock.co/news/regulation/2026-11-06-us-treasury-walks-back-crypto-surveillance-travel-rule-proposal-435951"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-the-u-s-drops-a-plan-to-track-crypto-and-international-tra",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/fed-eccles-building-1024.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Federal Reserve Board"
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk": "Tokenized Assets",
      "title": "Nigeria's new stablecoin rules take effect, and foreign coin makers must get a local license",
      "text": "Nigeria's central bank rules for stablecoins, digital coins meant to hold a steady value like one dollar or one naira, took effect Nov. 5, Unchained reports. Any company that issues a stablecoin used in Nigeria must now set up a company there and hold capital of 10 billion naira for a naira coin or 15 billion naira for a coin tied to a foreign currency. Issuers must keep 2% more in reserves than the coins they have out, may not pay interest to holders, and may not issue algorithmic stablecoins, coins that try to hold their price with computer code instead of cash in the bank. Companies already working in Nigeria must register within 30 days and apply for a license within 180 days, which counts out to early May 2027. The Block reports the same terms. The rules are in the central bank's rulebook for virtual assets. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "in Nigeria many people use digital dollars to protect their savings and send money home. Clear rules can make those coins safer to hold, but they may also push out coin makers that do not sign up. The full licensing deadline is in May 2027.",
      "source_url": "https://unchainedcrypto.com/nigerias-central-bank-now-requires-offshore-stablecoin-issuers-to-license-locally/",
      "sources": [
        "https://unchainedcrypto.com/nigerias-central-bank-now-requires-offshore-stablecoin-issuers-to-license-locally/",
        "https://www.theblock.co/news/regulation/2026-11-06-nigerias-central-bank-introduces-stablecoin-licensing-rules-bans-algorithmic-versions-435867",
        "https://www.cbn.gov.ng/Out/2026/CCD/REGULATIONS%20FOR%20THE%20OPERATIONS%20OF%20NON-SECURITY%20VIRTUAL%20ASSETS%20IN%20NIGERIA.pdf"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-nigerias-new-stablecoin-rules-take-effect-and-foreign-coin",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/naira-stablecoin-lagos-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk": "Wildcard",
      "title": "TSMC weighs making memory chips for Nvidia, a report says",
      "text": "TSMC, the Taiwan company that makes most of the world's most advanced chips, is drafting plans to make a new kind of memory called 3D DRAM after a request from Nvidia, The Information reported, as The Next Web summarizes. DRAM is the fast short-term memory a computer uses while it works; 3D DRAM stacks its storage cells in layers, like floors in a building, to fit more in the same space. AI chips need huge amounts of memory, and there is not enough: Micron expects the shortage to last into 2028. TSMC could build new factories or buy and convert an old one, the way Micron bought a $1.8 billion plant in March, Runtime Wire reports. Vice president Hsu Kuo-chin would lead the work. TSMC said it does not comment on rumors. The move would put TSMC up against memory makers Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron.",
      "why_it_matters": "memory shortages make AI services and even phones and laptops cost more. Another big maker could ease that. This is a report about early plans, not a decision.",
      "source_url": "https://thenextweb.com/news/tsmc-3d-dram-memory-chips-nvidia",
      "sources": [
        "https://thenextweb.com/news/tsmc-3d-dram-memory-chips-nvidia",
        "https://runtimewire.com/article/tsmc-weighs-3d-dram-nvidia-memory"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/#story-tsmc-weighs-making-memory-chips-for-nvidia-a-report-says",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/stacked-memory-chip-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    }
  ],
  "videos": [
    {
      "video_id": "p1Dy4e4ff0s",
      "caption": "All-In (Oct. 30), in case you missed it: the hosts go through Anthropic's filing to go public, Google's drop in market value and AI spending.",
      "section": "Watch"
    },
    {
      "video_id": "yHMU5ql7O6o",
      "caption": "Moonshots with Peter Diamandis, episode 307 (Oct. 31), in case you missed it: Emad Mostaque on the late-October AI stock sell-off and Google's profits.",
      "section": "Watch"
    }
  ],
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite": "Singularity Nightly, \"AST SpaceMobile Will Build Its Own Rocket With Firefly Engines, the Army Opens a $4.2 Billion Race to Build Ammunition Plants, and an AI Reads Health From the Way You Walk\", Friday, November 6, 2026, https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-06-evening-10/. CC BY 4.0."
}