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SpaceX's California Starship factory plans detailed ahead of permitting decision

According to documents published by SpaceX, the company could soon build a miniature version of its Boca Chica Starship factory in the Port of Los Angeles. (SPadre)

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SpaceX’s California Starship factory plans have been detailed in new documents published by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, one of the last big steps before a crucial permitting decision is made later this week.

First reported on February 1st, SpaceX has resurrected plans to build a Starship factory in Los Angeles, just 20 or so miles away from the company’s Hawthorne, California headquarters. SpaceX abandoned its lease of Port of Los Angeles Berth 240 in the spring of 2019, a decision made a handful of months after the company dramatically scrapped plans to build its next-generation rocket out of carbon-fiber composites. Now known as Starship and Super Heavy and radically redesigned to use steel for 99% of its structural elements, SpaceX has been building prototypes of the Starship upper stage for more than 14 months.

That work has been performed almost exclusively at Boca Chica, Texas facilities that have been in an almost continuous period of gradual expansion and upgrades since late-2018. Situated a few miles from the Mexican border on the southernmost tip of Texas’ Gulf Coast, Boca Chica is an exceptional location for orbital launches from the continental United States but is less than optimal when it comes to build (and more importantly) staffing a high-quality rocket factory. Since Starship prototype fabrication and integration was shifted almost entirely to Texas, SpaceX has had to send expert Hawthorne-based employees to Boca Chica for weeks at a time, often hitching a ride on CEO Elon Musk’s private jet. With a dedicated Port of LA Starship factory, life could be made much easier, cheaper, and – ultimately – better for everyone involved.

Berth 240 was previously used as fairing recovery ship Mr. Steven’s berth and briefly considered for a BFR factory. (Pauline Acalin)

While its growth has been undeniably gradual, SpaceX is in the late stages of building an impressive manufacturing base around its Boca Chica launch facilities. As of Tuesday, February 17th, company contractors have effectively completed the shells of two massive ‘sprung structures’ (tents) that are already being used to house certain Starship fabrication, assembly, and integration operations.

Both tents and the VAB are visible in these recent photos.

Nearby, a separate group is in the late stages of constructing the primary structure of a ~50m (160 ft) tall Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) with an even taller building also in the pipeline, both of which should allow Starship and Super Heavy stacking, welding, and outfitting to be done in a sheltered, partially climate-controlled environment. Additionally, SpaceX has delivered hardware needed to build a dedicated on-site waterjet shop, giving its Boca Chica outpost the ability to precisely fabricate its own metal parts.

According to SpaceX’s updated 2020 Port of Los Angeles regulatory documents, the company has major ambitions for its resurrected California Starship factory. In simple terms, it really does want to build a true Starship factory instead of something smaller or more specialized. Specifically, SpaceX wants Berth 240 to be able to independently form Starship’s steel rings, stack and weld those rings together, outfit integrated barrel sections with all necessary access ports, plumbing, and flight-related hardware, and build any number of other Starship parts (likely fins, legs, noses, etc.).

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SpaceX effectively wants to replicate its Boca Chica Starship hub in the Port of Los Angeles. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

This time around, SpaceX would refurbish and reuse five aging structures already present at Berth 240, avoiding the potential hassle, delays, and cost of building an entirely new factory (as was previously the plan). It’s likely that SpaceX would eventually erect similar sprung structures on Berth 240’s empty lot, and it looks like the modified permit applications would even allow the company to build the same factory it previously proposed in addition to the new plans to reuse existing structures.

Although reusing abandoned buildings built a century ago will almost bring its own challenges, SpaceX’s tweaked approach does make it likelier (even if still improbable) that the company will be able to realize its ambitious goal of kicking off Berth 240 Starship production just a month or two from now. While not discussed in the permit, SpaceX’s new plans would presumably also involve shipping fully-completed Starship subsections (meaning just a few stacked steel rings at a time) from California to Texas, where Boca Chica workers would ultimately integrate those segments to form finished ships and boosters that can then be acceptance-tested and launched.

For now, though, SpaceX still has to reacquire its old Berth 240 lease and environmental permits before it can begin repairing existing structures and building out its prospective Port of LA rocket factory. Up next, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission will meet on Thursday, February 20th to hear several permit appeals, SpaceX’s included.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla Board takes firm stance on Elon Musk’s political involvement in pay package proxy

But there was one driving factor that was considered critical to Tesla: “Receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”

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The Tesla Board of Directors announced yesterday that it had established a new pay package for CEO Elon Musk, as it believes it is “critical” to secure his long-term commitment to the position.

However, the Board made it clear about Musk’s political involvement in its proxy filing, which announced the new pay package, and it seems the company is addressing it directly.

Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

The proxy announced the massive pay package, which could give Musk $1 trillion if he achieves various goals that would help Tesla grow as an automaker, energy provider, and in the Robotics and AI sectors.

There are also some details about the Board’s decision, which we went over yesterday, as it felt that Musk was the right person to continue to lead Tesla for the foreseeable future.

It appears that there were four primary reasons behind the decision to retain Musk with this substantial pay package.

Tesla sought to secure Musk’s commitment to the company by offering him a path to increased ownership; if he were to achieve all tranches, he would hold approximately 27 percent ownership.

Another was to let Musk develop the newest Master Plan, which was released last week. Additionally, there needs to be a “meaningful framework for long-term succession planning led by the Board with Musk’s active participation.”

But there was one driving factor that was considered critical to Tesla: “Receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”

It is far from a secret that Musk’s involvement with President Donald Trump during his election campaign and after he was voted in rubbed many people the wrong way.

Musk was part of President Trump’s White House, serving as the Head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and also acting as a Special Advisor.

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Musk’s political involvement impacted sales, but by how much is unknown.

It appears the Board is truly ready to move on from politics and focus on what matters: expanding AI, Robotics, and sustainable energy. For what it’s worth, Musk has backed away from politics significantly compared to how it was during election season.

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Tesla launches new Supercharger program that business owners will love

“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially launched a new Supercharger program in the United States, catering to business owners who are sure to love it.

Tesla’s Supercharger Network is the world’s most expansive electric vehicle charging network, with over 70,000 locations worldwide. EV owners can also access other networks, making the charging experience well-rounded and available at nearly every location imaginable.

The company is now taking things a step further by launching “Supercharger for Business,” a new way to enable fast-charging for Teslas and other EVs through stalls that are owned by you but managed by the company.

Tesla Superchargers get massive nod in new study showing reliability

“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla writes on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”

There are several advantages to this program that benefit owners, customers, and employees alike. It is truly a great opportunity for everyone involved.

For company owners, the presence of Superchargers is extremely beneficial for customers, as it can be a convenient way to attract people to your business. It will also provide your employees who drive EVs with a fast and convenient way to charge at work, making your business a more attractive place to work.

The stalls are also customizable, and can have your company’s logo placed on the charger:

For customers, they will be able to pull up to your business for a meeting or a visit and charge during their stop. EV owners know how convenient this would be.

For employees, they can now fast-charge at work. It is a huge benefit to have this available. It can also be more convenient than typical chargers at offices, which usually have a lower power output and take hours to gain range. In a pinch, the Superchargers will be more convenient.

Businesses also have the ability to control everything they want with the Superchargers, including pricing, while also benefiting from Tesla’s management and maintenance of the stalls:

“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”

With EVs becoming more popular every year, this is something that many businesses will take advantage of to not only gain customers, but also potentially sway an employee to their company for employment.

Not to mention, this is a great advertising opportunity for businesses.

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Tesla board reveals reasoning for CEO Elon Musk’s new $1 trillion pay package

“Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.”

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s Board of Directors has proposed a new pay package for company CEO Elon Musk that would result in $1 trillion in stock offerings if he is able to meet several lofty performance targets.

Musk, who has not been meaningfully compensated since 2017, completed his last pay package by delivering billions in shareholder value through a variety of performance-based “tranches,” which were met and resulted in the award of billions in stock.

Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

However, Musk was unable to claim this award due to a ruling by the Delaware Chancery Court, which deemed the payout an “unfathomable sum.”

Now, the company is taking steps to ensure Musk gets paid, as the Board feels that it is crucial to retain its CEO, who has been responsible for much of the company’s success.

This is not a statement to undermine the work of all of Tesla’s terrific employees, but a ship needs to be captained by someone, and Musk has proven he is the right person for the job.

The Board also believes that, based on a statement made by the company in its proxy, various issues will be discussed during the upcoming Shareholder Meeting.

Robyn Denholm and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson recognized Musk’s contributions in a statement, which encouraged shareholders to vote to approve the payout:

“We’re asking you to approve the 2025 CEO Performance Award. In designing the new performance award, we explored numerous alternatives. Ultimately, the new award aims to build upon the success of the 2018 CEO Performance Award framework, which ensure that Elon was only paid for the performance delivered and incentivized to guide Tesla through a period of meteoric growth. The 2025 CEO Performance Award similarly challegnes Elon to again meet a series of even more aspirational goals, including operational milestones focused on reaching Adjusted EBITDA targets (thresholds that are up to 28 times higher than the 2108 CEO Performance Award’s top Adjusted EBITDA milestone) and rolling out new or expanded product offerings (including 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation and delivery of 1 million AI Bots), all while growing the company’s market capitalization by trillions of dollars.

Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.

In addition to these unprecedented performance milestones, the 2025 CEO Performance Award also includes innovative structural features, born out of the special committee’s considered analysis and extensive shareholder feedback. These features include supercharged retention (at least seven and a half years and up to 10 years to vest in the full award), structural protections to minimize stock price volatility due to administration of this award and, thereafter, incentives for Elon to participate in the Board’s continued development of a framework for long-term CEO Succession. If Elon achieves all the performance milestones under this principle-based 2025 CEO Performance Award, his leadership will propel Tesla to become the most valuable company in history.”

Musk will have a lot of things to accomplish to receive the 423,743,904 shares, which are divided into 12 tranches.

However, the Board feels he is the right person for the job, and they want him to remain the CEO. This package should ensure that he stays with Tesla, as long as shareholders feel the same way.

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