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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch 14th Starlink mission on Sunday

Pictured here on its third launch, Falcon 9 booster B1051 is scheduled to fly for the sixth time five days from now. (Richard Angle)

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Spaceflight Now reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is five days out from the company’s 14th dedicated Starlink launch, also the 13th launch of operational satellites and 12th launch this year.

While approximately 50% short of SpaceX’s turn-of-the-year target of 20-24 Starlink launches in 2020, the company’s average of one mission every ~25 days has quickly made Starlink the largest satellite constellation ever launched by a factor of ~5. More importantly, once the 60 Starlink-12 satellites launched earlier this month boost themselves to their final orbits, CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX will be ready to kick off Starlink’s first public beta tests.

Spaceflight Now and LaunchPhotography.com both report that SpaceX is scheduled to launch Starlink V1 L13 (Starlink-13) no earlier than (NET) 8:27am EDT (11:27 UTC) on Sunday, October 18th.

Following Starlink-12’s October 6th launch, Starlink-13 is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39A (Pad 39A) as few as 12 days later, within arm’s reach of SpaceX’s nine-day pad turnaround record. The company has managed to repeatedly turn both of its East Coast pads (LC-40 and Pad 39A) around in less than two weeks this year, demonstrating a taste of what SpaceX will need to make routine to achieve Elon Musk’s goal of 48 launches in 2021.

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NextSpaceflight reports that SpaceX has assigned Falcon 9 booster B1051 to Starlink-13, setting the rocket up for its sixth flight since May 2019 and fourth launch this year. Hot off the ship’s sixth successful Falcon fairing catch, recovery ship GO Ms. Tree (formerly Mr. Steven) briefly departed Port Canaveral on October 13th – likely preparing for another catch attempt during Starlink-13.

GO Ms. Tree was also out and about when Starlink-12 booster B1058 returned to port aboard drone ship OCISLY. (Richard Angle)

Meanwhile, to reach the Starlink-13 booster recovery zone ~630 km (~390 mi) northeast of Cape Canaveral, one of SpaceX’s two drone ships (OCISLY or JRTI) will need to leave its berth within the next day or two. SpaceX has a five-day margin for Starlink-13 launch delays before ULA’s latest NROL-44 launch attempt once again takes precedence – this time on October 23rd.

If successful, Falcon 9 booster B1051 will follow in the footsteps of B1049 to become the second orbital-class rocket booster ever to launch and land six times, continuing SpaceX’s confident march towards Falcon 9 Block 5’s 10-flight design goal. Barring a surprise, B1051’s Starlink-13 assignment also implies that Falcon 9 B1049 may be up next for Starlink-14, marking the first seventh flight of an orbital-class booster.

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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 Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars

According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.

According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.

With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.

A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:

We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.

This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.

FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.

Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.

When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:

There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.

Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.

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Tesla Megapack powers $1.1B AI data center project in Brazil

By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Megapack battery systems will be deployed as part of a 400MW AI data center campus in Uberlândia, Brazil. The initiative is described as one of Latin America’s largest AI infrastructure projects.

The project is being led by RT-One, which confirmed that the facility will integrate Tesla Megapack battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of a broader industrial alliance that includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, ABB, HIMOINSA, and Schneider Electric. The project is backed by more than R$6 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) in private capital.

According to RT-One, the data center is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy while also reinforcing regional grid stability.

“Brazil generates abundant energy, particularly from renewable sources such as solar and wind. However, high renewable penetration can create grid stability challenges,” RT-One President Fernando Palamone noted in a post on LinkedIn. “Managing this imbalance is one of the country’s growing infrastructure priorities.”

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By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.

“The facility will be capable of absorbing excess electricity when supply is high and providing stabilization services when the grid requires additional support. This approach enhances resilience, improves reliability, and contributes to a more efficient use of renewable generation,” Palamone added.

The model mirrors approaches used in energy-intensive regions such as California and Texas, where large battery systems help manage fluctuations tied to renewable energy generation.

The RT-One President recently visited Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California, where Megapacks are produced, as part of establishing the partnership. He thanked the Tesla team, including Marcel Dall Pai, Nicholas Reale, and Sean Jones, for supporting the collaboration in his LinkedIn post.

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Starlink powers Europe’s first satellite-to-phone service with O2 partnership

The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools.

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Credit: SpaceX

Starlink is now powering Europe’s first commercial satellite-to-smartphone service, as Virgin Media O2 launches a space-based mobile data offering across the UK.

The new O2 Satellite service uses Starlink’s low-Earth orbit network to connect regular smartphones in areas without terrestrial coverage, expanding O2’s reach from 89% to 95% of Britain’s landmass.

Under the rollout, compatible Samsung devices automatically connect to Starlink satellites when users move beyond traditional mobile coverage, according to Reuters.

The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools. O2 is pricing the add-on at £3 per month.

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By leveraging Starlink’s satellite infrastructure, O2 can deliver connectivity in remote and rural regions without building additional ground towers. The move represents another step in Starlink’s push beyond fixed broadband and into direct-to-device mobile services.

Virgin Media O2 chief executive Lutz Schuler shared his thoughts about the Starlink partnership. “By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time,” he said.

Satellite-based mobile connectivity is gaining traction globally. In the U.S., T-Mobile has launched a similar satellite-to-cell offering. Meanwhile, Vodafone has conducted satellite video call tests through its partnership with AST SpaceMobile last year.

For Starlink, the O2 agreement highlights how its network is increasingly being integrated into national telecom systems, enabling standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites without specialized hardware.

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