---
title: "Identity Digital Wins .us Registry Contract as Spaceship Tops 10 Million Domains"
canonical_url: "https://unique.domains/news/weekly/2026-10-05"
human_page: "https://unique.domains/news/weekly/2026-10-05"
markdown_url: "https://unique.domains/news/weekly/2026-10-05.md"
edition_kind: "weekly (archived)"
edition_date: "2026-10-05"
published_at: "2026-10-05"
updated_at: "2026-10-05"
revision: 1
source_count: 25
categories: "Domain sales, valuation and market data, Auctions, expirations and acquisition tactics, TLDs, registries and registration trends"
---

# Identity Digital Wins \.us Registry Contract as Spaceship Tops 10 Million Domains

Weekly edition (archived), 2026-09-28 to 2026-10-04, published by Unique Domains on 2026-10-05.

## Summary

Covers Identity Digital's \.us win, Spaceship's 10M-domain milestone, fTLD's leadership change, \.si's registration surge, two UDRP RDNH rulings, and the week's auction and private-sale activity\. [[15]](#source-15) [[7]](#source-7) [[21]](#source-21) [[25]](#source-25) [[16]](#source-16)

## Key takeaways

- Identity Digital won the contract to operate the \.us domain registry\. [[15]](#source-15)
- fTLD president Craig Schwartz will retire in Q2 2027 after leading the \.bank and \.insurance operator since 2011\. [[13]](#source-13)
- [Spaceship](https://unique.domains/registrars/spaceship) crossed 10 million domains under management less than a year after reaching 5 million\. [[7]](#source-7) [[10]](#source-10)
- \.si registered 46,000 new domains in September amid 'Super Intelligence' branding speculation\. [[21]](#source-21) [[4]](#source-4)
- UDRP panels found reverse domain name hijacking in both the Rocca\.com case and a fashion company's complaint\. [[25]](#source-25) [[20]](#source-20)
- Backorder platforms changed the deadline time for placing [\.com](https://unique.domains/tld/com)/\.net pending-delete backorders\. [[24]](#source-24)

## This week in domains

Institutional consolidation in registry and registrar operations ran alongside retail-level speculation in ccTLD branding and high-dollar auctions this week\. [[15]](#source-15) [[7]](#source-7) [[21]](#source-21) [[16]](#source-16)

### Identity Digital Wins \.us Registry Contract

Identity Digital was awarded the contract to operate the \.us domain registry this week, a notable addition to its runbook of registry back-end operations across generic, country-code and sponsored namespaces\. The \.us zone serves as the United States' country-code top-level domain and is used by federal and state programs, businesses operating under residency requirements, and a smaller aftermarket layer that has traditionally traded at a discount to [\.com](https://unique.domains/tld/com)\. For registrars and investors, the shift puts registry operations for one of the oldest ccTLDs in the hands of a company that already runs the back end for dozens of other TLDs, raising questions about pricing, EPP integration timelines, and whether registry-lock, premium-name and backorder policies will be harmonized with Identity Digital's existing portfolio practices\. No transition date or incumbent-operator detail was disclosed this week\. [[15]](#source-15)

### Registrar Scale and a Sponsored-TLD Succession

[Spaceship](https://unique.domains/registrars/spaceship), the [Namecheap](https://unique.domains/registrars/namecheap) sister registrar, crossed 10 million domains under management, a milestone it reached less than a year after passing 5 million, according to Domain Name Wire and DomainInvesting\.com\. The pace illustrates how quickly a challenger registrar can scale domain counts through bundled hosting, AI and bulk-registration tooling rather than organic one-by-one registrations\. Separately, fTLD Registry Services, operator of the sponsored \.bank and \.insurance TLDs, said president Craig Schwartz will retire effective the second quarter of 2027 after leading the company since 2011; a search for his successor is underway, with the outcome likely to shape how aggressively those two restricted TLDs pursue growth beyond the regulated financial-services base they were built for\. [[7]](#source-7) [[10]](#source-10) [[13]](#source-13)

### Super Intelligence Branding Keeps \.si Registrations Climbing

Slovenia's \.si ccTLD registered 46,000 new domains in September, with Domain Name Wire crediting continued momentum after a Trump executive order and speculative registrations tied to 'Super Intelligence' branding plays\. Shane Cultra's October 2 auction list flagged the same \.si speculation trend among buyers hunting two-letter and acronym matches\. The pattern echoes past ccTLD repurposing cycles, such as [\.ai](https://unique.domains/tld/ai) and [\.io](https://unique.domains/tld/io), where a string's coincidental meaning in English draws volume well beyond the issuing country's domestic market, though registrant concentration and renewal follow-through for speculative \.si names remain unverified this week\. [[21]](#source-21) [[4]](#source-4)

### Two UDRP Panels Flag Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

A UDRP panel unanimously denied a cybersquatting complaint over Rocca\.com after finding the respondent had used the name for family email since 2001, predating the complainant's trademark, with panelists split on whether to add an RDNH finding, per the ICA UDRP Digest\. In a separate case reported by Domain Name Wire, a fashion company's cybersquatting complaint was rejected outright with a full RDNH finding against it\. Both outcomes reinforce that panels are increasingly willing to penalize complainants who file against clearly senior or legitimate registrations, a deterrent domain holders can cite when fielding aggressive takedown demands\. [[25]](#source-25) [[20]](#source-20)

### Auction Week: a $30,500 Ceiling and Steady Mid-Market Flow

Across [Dynadot](https://unique.domains/registrars/dynadot), Catched, Namejet, [Sedo](https://unique.domains/registrars/sedo) and [GoDaddy](https://unique.domains/registrars/godaddy), the week's recaps compiled by Domain Shane and Travis M\. showed one-word and short-string names continuing to clear four and five figures\. Stringent\.com drew the most sustained bidding of the week, opening at $10,099 with 58 bids on September 29 and climbing further through the October 2 and October 3 recaps before settling above $10,000\. GoDaddy's weekly top-57 list, compiled separately, was led by Austin\.org, with 111666\.com and 4408\.com rounding out the top three; chipmarket\.com, neuralbank\.com, nysx\.com and trendee\.com each cleared four figures on Dynadot and Catched during the week\. Separately, DropCatch and peer backorder platforms changed the cutoff time for placing \.com/\.net pending-delete backorders, a procedural shift that affects catch timing rather than pricing\. [[2]](#source-2) [[3]](#source-3) [[4]](#source-4) [[8]](#source-8) [[9]](#source-9) [[12]](#source-12) [[14]](#source-14) [[16]](#source-16) [[18]](#source-18) [[19]](#source-19) [[24]](#source-24)

- Austin\.org: $30,500
- 111666\.com: $30,000
- 4408\.com: $24,000
- stringent\.com: $10,499
- 96c\.com: $10,000
- trendee\.com: $2,225

Selected auction sale prices reported this week

### Notable Private Sales, Parking Economics and Industry Voices

Mogul\.com co-founder Alex Blackwood disclosed in an Inc\. Magazine interview, flagged by an industry publication, that the company paid $1\.3 million to buy Mogul\.com from investor Braden Pollock in 2023, one of the larger disclosed six-figure-plus domain acquisitions of the year\. Leaves\.com's owner, who bought the domain in 2019 and once turned down a $100,000 offer, fielded another unsolicited offer this week and instead launched a site on the domain with help from Claude AI, per DomainInvesting\.com\. InterNetX's Simone Catania published a report pushing back on media claims that parked domains stopped earning money after Google shut down AdSense for Domains, arguing parking revenue persists through other ad networks\. An industry publication also profiled veteran investor Yoni Belousov's 25-year path in the industry, D3 launched a 'Frontier' membership program offering priority access to keywords in upcoming top-level domains at Korean Blockchain Week, and DomainSherpa published its latest interview-series episode\. [[5]](#source-5) [[22]](#source-22) [[17]](#source-17) [[6]](#source-6) [[1]](#source-1) [[11]](#source-11) [[23]](#source-23)

## What to watch

- Q2 2027: fTLD succession search fTLD's board will need to name a successor to Craig Schwartz before his Q2 2027 departure, with implications for how \.bank and \.insurance registry stewardship evolves\. [[13]](#source-13)
- \.us registry transition details Registrants and resellers will watch for transition specifics as Identity Digital takes over \.us registry operations, including any changes to pricing or premium-name policy\. [[15]](#source-15)
- Pending-delete backorder timing shift Whether the new [\.com](https://unique.domains/tld/com)/\.net pending-delete backorder deadline changes catch rates across competing drop-catch platforms remains to be seen in coming auction cycles\. [[24]](#source-24)

## Dates and launches

- 28 September 2026 to 29 September 2026: Atlas Digital Summit (Event)
- 30 September 2026: Internet Measurement Day 2026 \| 30 September 2026 \| Bucharest, Romania (Event)
- 4 October 2026 to 7 October 2026: 17th APrIGF Forum (Event)
- 5 October 2026 to 9 October 2026: LACNIC 46 - October 5-9, 2026 (Event)
- 6 October 2026 to 4 January 2027: [\.phone sunrise](https://unique.domains/agenda?month=2026-10&tld=phone) (Sunrise)
- 6 October 2026 to 8 October 2026: SecTor 2026 (Event)
- 7 October 2026 to 10 October 2026: 2026 AIPPI World Congress (Event)
- 7 October 2026 to 10 October 2026: Les Assises de la Cybersécurité (Event)

See the full agenda: https://unique.domains/agenda

## Questions and answers

### Why does Identity Digital winning the \.us registry contract matter for the domain industry?

It consolidates back-end operation of one of the oldest U\.S\. country-code namespaces under a company that already runs registry infrastructure for numerous other TLDs\. The practical effects on pricing, premium-name handling and policy consistency for \.us registrants and registrars were not detailed this week, but the award itself signals continued consolidation in registry service provision\. [[15]](#source-15)

### How fast is Spaceship growing compared to its earlier milestones?

[Spaceship](https://unique.domains/registrars/spaceship), [Namecheap](https://unique.domains/registrars/namecheap)'s sister registrar, reached 10 million domains under management less than a year after it had passed 5 million, according to Domain Name Wire and DomainInvesting\.com\. That doubling pace points to rapid customer acquisition through bundled tooling and promotional registration rather than slow organic growth\. [[7]](#source-7) [[10]](#source-10)

### What is driving the jump in \.si registrations?

Domain Name Wire attributes September's 46,000 new \.si registrations to continued momentum following a Trump executive order, compounded by speculative registrations tied to 'Super Intelligence' branding, a trend Shane Cultra's auction commentary also flagged among buyers chasing short acronym matches in the ccTLD\. [[21]](#source-21) [[4]](#source-4)

### What happened in the Rocca\.com UDRP case?

A panel unanimously denied the cybersquatting complaint because the respondent had used Rocca\.com for family email since 2001, before the complainant's trademark existed\. Panelists were divided on whether to additionally label the filing a reverse domain name hijacking, per the ICA UDRP Digest\. [[25]](#source-25)

### Is domain parking still worthwhile after Google shut down AdSense for Domains?

InterNetX's Simone Catania published a report countering media claims that parked domains stopped earning money, arguing that parking revenue continues through alternative ad networks even after AdSense for Domains ended, though the report did not quantify current yield levels\. [[17]](#source-17)

### What price did Mogul\.com actually sell for?

Mogul\.com co-founder Alex Blackwood told Inc\. Magazine, as reported by an industry publication, that the company paid $1\.3 million to buy the domain from investor Braden Pollock in 2023, disclosing a purchase price that had not previously been made public\. [[5]](#source-5)

### What changed with \.com/\.net pending-delete backorders this week?

Backorder platforms including DropCatch adjusted the deadline time for placing backorders on pending-delete [\.com](https://unique.domains/tld/com) and \.net domains, a procedural timing change rather than a pricing or process overhaul, per DomainInvesting\.com\. [[24]](#source-24)

## Sources and citations

<a id="source-1"></a>
1. D3 Launches Frontier - New Membership Program Designed to Provide Priority Access to Names in Upcoming Top Level Domains
   Industry publication | 2026-09-28T12:12:24\.000Z

<a id="source-2"></a>
2. [Shane’s List of Domains at Auction for Saturday, October 3rd, 2026](<https://dsad.com/shanes-list-of-domains-at-auction-for-saturday-october-3rd-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | ShaneCultra | 2026-10-03T04:16:00\.000Z

<a id="source-3"></a>
3. [AUCTION RECAP OF SEPTEMBER 29, 2026](<https://dsad.com/auction-recap-of-september-28-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-09-30T17:58:41\.000Z

<a id="source-4"></a>
4. [Shane’s List of Domains at Auction for Friday, October 2nd, 2026](<https://dsad.com/shanes-list-of-domains-at-auction-for-friday-october-2nd-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | ShaneCultra | 2026-10-02T04:22:00\.000Z

<a id="source-5"></a>
5. Mogul\.com Co-Founder Reveals Company Paid $1\.3 Million for Mogul\.com
   Industry publication | 2026-09-28T16:16:15\.000Z

<a id="source-6"></a>
6. From Introverted Teenager to Industry Titan: How Yoni Belousov Built a Domain Empire
   Industry publication | 2026-09-29T20:56:26\.000Z

<a id="source-7"></a>
7. [Spaceship rockets past 10 million domains](<https://domainnamewire.com/2026/09/30/spaceship-rockets-past-10-million-domains>)
   Domain Name Wire | Andrew Allemann | 2026-09-30T15:28:40\.000Z

<a id="source-8"></a>
8. [AUCTION RECAP OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2026](<https://dsad.com/auction-recap-of-september-30-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-10-01T16:52:08\.000Z

<a id="source-9"></a>
9. [Shane’s List of Domains at Auction for Wednesday, September 30th, 2026](<https://dsad.com/shanes-list-of-domains-at-auction-for-wednesday-september-30th-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | ShaneCultra | 2026-09-30T04:04:00\.000Z

<a id="source-10"></a>
10. [Spaceship Hits 10 Million Domains Under Management](<https://domaininvesting.com/spaceship-hits-10-million-domains-under-management>)
   DomainInvesting\.com | Elliot Silver | 2026-09-30T11:40:54\.000Z

<a id="source-11"></a>
11. [DomainSherpa Review – October 1, 2026 – Shoot Your Moonshot](<https://domainsherpa.com/dsr10012026>)
   DomainSherpa | DomainSherpa | 2026-10-02T00:40:15\.000Z

<a id="source-12"></a>
12. [AUCTION RECAP OF OCTOBER 2, 2026](<https://dsad.com/auction-recap-of-october-2-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-10-03T18:06:03\.000Z

<a id="source-13"></a>
13. [Craig Schwartz retiring, search begins for fTLD’s next president](<https://domainnamewire.com/2026/10/02/schwartz-ftld>)
   Domain Name Wire | Andrew Allemann | 2026-10-02T18:15:37\.000Z

<a id="source-14"></a>
14. [AUCTION RECAP OF OCTOBER 3, 2026](<https://dsad.com/auction-recap-of-october-3-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-10-04T17:45:17\.000Z

<a id="source-15"></a>
15. [Breaking: Identity Digital wins \.us domain registry contract](<https://domainnamewire.com/2026/10/01/breaking-identity-digital-wins-us-domain-registry-contract>)
   Domain Name Wire | Andrew Allemann | 2026-10-01T16:10:37\.000Z

<a id="source-16"></a>
16. [Trav’s List of Domains at Auction for Sunday, October 4, 2026](<https://dsad.com/travs-list-of-domains-at-auction-for-sunday-october-4-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-10-04T04:30:00\.000Z

<a id="source-17"></a>
17. New InterNetX Report From Simone Catania Examines the State of Domain Parking After Google's Exit
   Industry publication | 2026-10-01T22:10:34\.000Z

<a id="source-18"></a>
18. [AUCTION RECAP OF OCTOBER 1, 2026](<https://dsad.com/auction-recap-of-october-1-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-10-02T15:54:06\.000Z

<a id="source-19"></a>
19. [Trav’s List of Domains at Auction for Thursday, October 1, 2026](<https://dsad.com/travs-list-of-domains-at-auction-for-thursday-october-1-2026>)
   Domain Shane / DSAD | Travis M\. | 2026-10-01T04:30:00\.000Z

<a id="source-20"></a>
20. [Fashion company’s cybersquatting case falls apart at the seams, panel finds RDNH](<https://domainnamewire.com/2026/10/02/alice-temperley>)
   Domain Name Wire | Andrew Allemann | 2026-10-02T15:58:10\.000Z

<a id="source-21"></a>
21. [46k \.si domains registered in September, momentum growing after Trump’s executive order](<https://domainnamewire.com/2026/10/01/46k-si-domains-registered-in-september-momentum-growing-after-trumps-speech>)
   Domain Name Wire | Andrew Allemann | 2026-10-01T14:38:26\.000Z

<a id="source-22"></a>
22. [Leaves\.com Launched with Help from Claude](<https://domaininvesting.com/leaves-com-launched-with-help-from-claude>)
   DomainInvesting\.com | Elliot Silver | 2026-09-28T16:38:24\.000Z

<a id="source-23"></a>
23. [Web3 and new top level domains – DNW Podcast \#605](<https://domainnamewire.com/2026/09/28/web3-and-new-top-level-domains-dnw-podcast-605>)
   Domain Name Wire | 2026-09-28T15:30:27\.000Z

<a id="source-24"></a>
24. [\.com/\.net Pending Delete Backorder Time Changed Today](<https://domaininvesting.com/com-net-pending-delete-backorder-time-changed-today>)
   DomainInvesting\.com | Elliot Silver | 2026-10-01T12:12:41\.000Z

<a id="source-25"></a>
25. [Plan B Without a Penalty: The Rocca\.com Panel Divides on RDNH – vol\. 6\.39](<https://www.internetcommerce.org/udrp-case-summaries/plan-b-without-a-penalty-the-rocca-com-panel-divides-on-rdnh-vol-6-39>)
   ICA UDRP Digest | Ankur Raheja | 2026-09-29T11:57:39\.000Z

## About this edition

Compiled from the 25 sources above. Report a correction to contact@unique.domains.

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