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SpaceX Starship rocket gets new Raptor engine for Starhopper-style hop test debut

SpaceX has delivered a Raptor to Starship SN4 for installation for the second time in two weeks. (SPadre)

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SpaceX has decided to install a different Raptor engine on its fourth full-scale Starship prototype in the buildup to the next-generation rocket’s inaugural flight test.

Starship SN4 recently became the first prototype to pass a cryogenic proof test, followed by two successful Raptor engine static fire tests and an even more successful pressure test on May 9th. Set to occur as early as later this month, that string of successes means that Starship SN4 is now all but guaranteed to become the first prototype to take flight. According to photos and information from CEO Elon Musk and FCC filings, that first hop – regardless of the ship – will be powered by a single off-center Raptor engine and likely follow in the footsteps of Starhopper, targeting a max hop height of 150m (~500 ft).

This time around, though, Starship SN4 will be around twice as tall as Starhopper, making for quite a spectacle regardless of the outcome. Currently, SpaceX has already received FCC authorization for Starship communications and is mainly just waiting on FAA approval for the short hop test – a license to launch that Musk suggested could arrive more than a “few weeks” after April 26th. Before Starship is technically ready for that milestone, however, one more test must be completed.

Raptor SN20 arrived at the launch pad on May 10th. (SPadre)

SpaceX has already successfully performed two static fire tests with a Raptor engine (likely SN18) installed on Starship SN4 on May 5th and 7th but the company has decided to replace that particular engine for unknown reasons. Raptor SN18 was removed from SN4 the morning after its (presumably) successful second static fire test, a move that is believed to have been made to avoid losing an engine in the event that a more ambitious cryogenic pressure test destroyed Starship.

As it turned out, that caution was unnecessary and Starship SN4 passed said pressure test with flying colors, reaching a planned maximum pressure of 7.5 bar (110 psi) – technically enough to qualify the rocket’s structure for (uncrewed) orbital launches.

For whatever reason, though, SpaceX has decided to replace Raptor SN18 with Raptor SN20, another of three engines currently on site at SpaceX’s South Texas rocket build and test facilities. That engine swap means that another Starship/Raptor static fire test is now needed to ensure that the new engine has been installed correctly and that both it and Starship are functioning as intended. As of now, SpaceX has scheduled that third static fire as early as Monday, May 11th, with a test window open from 9am to 9pm CDT (UTC-5).

SpaceX successfully fired up a Raptor engine on a full-scale Starship rocket for the first time ever on May 5th. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

If that static fire and include wet dress rehearsal (WDR) is successful, Starship will technically be cleared for flight. The only obvious missing piece is an attitude control system (ACS). Starhopper, for example, used cold nitrogen gas thrusters quite literally taken off of flight-proven Falcon boosters. It remains to be seen if SpaceX will take the same approach with Starship SN4 or if a different kind of ACS thruster is already installed on the rocket and hidden in plain sight. For now, it looks like we won’t have to wait long at all to find out.

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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 analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump’s feud shall pass, several bulls say.

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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)

Tesla analysts are breaking down the current feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the two continue to disagree on the “Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on the country’s national debt.

Musk, who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, left his post in May. Soon thereafter, he and President Trump entered a very public and verbal disagreement, where things turned sour. They reconciled to an extent, and things seemed to be in the past.

However, the second disagreement between the two started on Monday, as Musk continued to push back on the “Big Beautiful Bill” that the Trump administration is attempting to sign into law. It would, by Musk’s estimation, increase spending and reverse the work DOGE did to trim the deficit.

President Trump has hinted that DOGE could be “the monster” that “eats Elon,” threatening to end the subsidies that SpaceX and Tesla receive. Musk has not been opposed to ending government subsidies for companies, including his own, as long as they are all abolished.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

Despite this contentious back-and-forth between the two, analysts are sharing their opinions now, and a few of the more bullish Tesla observers are convinced that this feud will pass, Trump and Musk will resolve their differences as they have before, and things will return to normal.

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said this morning that the feud between Musk and Trump is another example of “this too shall pass:”

Additionally, Wedbush’s Dan Ives, in a note to investors this morning, said that the situation “will settle:”

“We believe this situation will settle and at the end of the day Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk given the AI Arms Race going on between the US and China. The jabs between Musk and Trump will continue as the Budget rolls through Congress but Tesla investors want Musk to focus on driving Tesla and stop this political angle…which has turned into a life of its own in a roller coaster ride since the November elections.”

Tesla shares are down about 5 percent at 3:10 p.m. on the East Coast.

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Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.

Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.

Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports

Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.

Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.

Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.

It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.

Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.

The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.

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Tesla upgrades Model 3 and Model Y in China, hikes price for long-range sedan

Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles).

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has rolled out a series of quiet upgrades to its Model 3 and Model Y in China, enhancing range and performance for long-range variants. The updates come with a price hike for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, which now costs RMB 285,500 (about $39,300), up RMB 10,000 ($1,400) from the previous price.

Model 3 gets acceleration boost, extended range

Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles), up from 713 km (443 miles), and a faster 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, down from 4.4 seconds. These changes suggest that Tesla has bundled the previously optional Acceleration Boost for the Model 3, once priced at RMB 14,100 ($1,968), as a standard feature.

Delivery wait times for the long-range Model 3 have also been shortened, from 3–5 weeks to just 1–3 weeks, as per CNEV Post. No changes were made to the entry-level RWD or Performance versions, which retain their RMB 235,500 and RMB 339,500 price points, respectively. Wait times for those trims also remain at 1–3 weeks and 8–10 weeks.

Model Y range increases, pricing holds steady

The Model Y Long Range has also seen its CLTC-rated range increase from 719 km (447 miles) to 750 km (466 miles), though its price remains unchanged at RMB 313,500 ($43,759). The model maintains a 0–100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.

Tesla also updated delivery times for the Model Y lineup. The Long Range variant now shows a wait time of 1–3 weeks, an improvement from the previous 3–5 weeks. The entry-level RWD version maintained its starting price of RMB 263,500, though its delivery window is now shorter at 2–4 weeks.

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Tesla continues to offer several purchase incentives in China, including an RMB 8,000 discount for select paint options, an RMB 8,000 insurance subsidy, and five years of interest-free financing for eligible variants.

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