News
SpaceX first Super Heavy ‘test tank’ is almost ready for prime time
SpaceX has almost completed a ‘test tank’ meant to ensure that Starship’s Super Heavy booster is capable of withstanding the immense thrust of more than two-dozen Raptor engines.
Believed to be known as test tank BN2.1, the prototype’s latest appearance comes on the heels of news from CEO Elon Musk that SpaceX has upgraded Super Heavy with one extra Raptor engine – with plans to add another three down the road. The results of that tank’s imminent test campaign will likely be crucial as the company shifts its focus sending Starship to orbit (or close) as soon as possible.
Prior to a new Super Heavy booster ‘thrust puck’ design first spotted on May 29th, at least two separate booster engine section prototypes completed in the last few months sported an earlier variant more akin to a donut. At that point, Super Heavy’s design had a central cluster of eight gimballing, throttleable Raptors surrounded by a ring of 20 Raptor Boost (“RBoost”) engines – a variant meant to trade the ability to throttle for ~25% more thrust.
While Super Heavy booster BN1’s almost immediate scrapping – prior to a single test – guaranteed that major design changes were on the way, exactly what those changes would be was anyone’s guess. The appearance of a new booster ‘thrust puck’ design and Musk’s subsequent announcement that Super Heavy will “initially” have 29 – not 28 – Raptors likely mean that that engine section redesign was a major contributor to BN1’s instant obsolescence. The only other major change SpaceX clearly made with booster BN2 was switching the positions of its liquid methane and liquid oxygen tanks, ensuring that Super Heavy’s heavier oxidizer is closer to the rocket’s base.
Musk also stated that SpaceX will eventually upgrade Super Heavy to 32 engines, giving future boosters a central cluster of 12 engines that the SpaceX CEO says will significantly improve the efficiency of boostback burns.
With 29 identical Raptors, the simplest possible Super Heavy booster would produce up to 5800 tons (12.8M lbf) of thrust at liftoff. If SpaceX has already completed Raptor Boost’s design and qualification and kicked off mass production of a 250-mTf engine, that liftoff thrust climbs to 6800 tons (~15M lbf). If SpaceX achieves performance goals (~210 mTf stock; ~300 mTf RBoost) mentioned by Musk last year, a 32-engine Super Heavy could achieve peak liftoff thrust greater than 8500 metric tons (~18.7M lbf).
Even in its weakest configuration, Super Heavy will still be more than 60% more powerful than Saturn V and 25% more powerful than N1 – the largest rockets to have ever successfully or unsuccessfully flown. That immense thrust demands a structure capable of surviving those extreme forces while simultaneously feeding dozens of Raptors up to ~28 metric tons (~61,000 lb) of propellant every second and withstanding several thousand tons of liquid oxygen – all without leaking, cracking, or flexing too much.
While BN2.1 wont have any of the plumbing associated with dozens of Raptors, nine hydraulic rams will let SpaceX subject its Super Heavy thrust structure to the simulated thrust of some number of engines. Given the presence of nine rams and nine clustered engines, it’s unclear if BN2.1 will only test that main thrust structure or if those rams will somehow be spread out to simulate the thrust of a full 29 engines – 20 of which will instead transfer most or all of their thrust into Super Heavy’s skirt.
Regardless, if successful, BN2.1’s test campaign should leave SpaceX on track to attempt Starship’s inaugural spaceflight as early as Q3 2021. If issues arise, that target could easily slip to Q4 or into 2022, but SpaceX’s test tank campaigns have historically been very successful.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk just roasted Sam Altman’s Tesla Roadster cancellation
“And you forgot to mention act 4, where this issue was fixed and you received a refund within 24 hours.
But that is in your nature.”
Elon Musk has responded to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s decision to cancel his Tesla Roadster reservation, which he revealed on X on Thursday.
We reported on Altman’s decision, which he called “A tale in three acts,” showing his confirmation email from Tesla back in 2018, an email requesting his $50,000 deposit back after canceling his order, and a notification from Google that the email he sent was not delivered.
A tale in three acts: pic.twitter.com/ClRZBgT24g
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025
Musk did not take too kindly to the post from his tech rival, first referencing his position with OpenAI, and then confirming that Altman received his reservation deposit back within 24 hours:
And you forgot to mention act 4, where this issue was fixed and you received a refund within 24 hours.
But that is in your nature.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2025
OpenAI was started by Musk, Altman, and others back in 2015, and was geared toward being a non-profit company that would develop safe artificial intelligence that would be accessible to people.
However, Musk and Altman did not agree on the future of the company. Musk left, and Altman turned OpenAI into a for-profit company. This led to a variety of lawsuits and some very public spats between the two. Musk has called out Altman for turning the company into a for-profit, which has been his main source of criticism for his former colleague.
The Roadster has been hanging in the balance of Tesla’s manufacturing plans for seven years, but the company has made more indications that it will be unveiled later this year and will have some insane technologies.
Musk said on Friday in an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast that Tesla is “getting close to demonstrating the prototype.”
He said:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Musk hinted that the vehicle could fly and would have “crazy technology” that would put James Bond’s vehicles to shame. It will be interesting to see what Tesla will unveil when the event happens and if it can come through on this mind-blowing teaser.
News
SpaceX successfully launches 100th Starlink mission of 2025
With 100 Starlink missions completed for 2025, space enthusiasts have noted that SpaceX has successfully launched 2,554 Starlink satellites so far this year.
SpaceX achieved its 100th Starlink mission of the year on Friday, October 31, marking another milestone for 2025.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink broadband satellites successfully lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 4:41 p.m. ET, carrying another 28 Starlink satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Falcon 9 booster’s 29th flight
Roughly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first stage touched down on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the booster’s 29th flight, which is approaching SpaceX’s reuse record of 31 missions.
This latest mission adds to SpaceX’s impressive 138 Falcon 9 launches in 2025, 99 of which were dedicated to Starlink, according to Space.com. The company’s focus on reusing boosters has enabled this breakneck pace, with multiple launches each week supporting both Starlink’s expansion and external customers.
Starlink’s network continues massive global expansion
Starlink remains the largest active satellite constellation in history, with more than 10,000 satellites launched, nearly 8,800 of which are currently active. SpaceX recently achieved Starlink’s 10,000-satellite milestone. With 100 Starlink missions completed for 2025, space enthusiasts have noted that SpaceX has successfully launched 2,554 Starlink satellites so far this year.
Starlink, which provides high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity even to the world’s most remote areas, has been proven to be life-changing technology for people across the globe. The service is currently operational in about 150 countries, and it currently has over 5 million subscribers worldwide. From this number, 2.7 million joined over the past year.
News
Tesla shares updated timeframe for Cybertruck FSD V14 release
The Cybertruck was expected to receive FSD V14 before the end of the month, but Tesla was not able to meet the target.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) V14 update for the Cybertruck could arrive this weekend, as per recent comments from Director of Autopilot Software and VP of AI Ashok Elluswamy.
The Cybertruck was expected to receive FSD V14 before the end of the month, but Tesla was not able to meet the target.
Cybertruck FSD V14
Considering the extended wait for FSD V14, it was no surprise that several Cybertruck owners were asking for updates about the system’s rollout to the all-electric pickup truck on Friday. These included the official Cybertruck X account, which responded to Elluswamy’s end of month estimate with “I only see trick. Where is my treat.”
This prompted a response from the AI executive, who replied with, “Sorry, pushing for early access Cyber release over the weekend.” This means that if all goes well, Cybertruck owners would be able to experience FSD V14 very soon. Some, however, are wondering if Tesla would go straight to V14.2 for the Cybertruck’s FSD V14 update, or if the vehicle will receive V14.1 first.
Tesla pushes to unify FSD experience across its lineup
The upcoming Cybertruck rollout represents the next step in Tesla’s efforts to roll out FSD capabilities across all of its vehicles. FSD V14 is a notable step forward for the company’s AI-driven self driving system, with features like Mad Max mode getting positive reviews from longtime Full Self Driving testers.
For the Cybertruck, the FSD V14 update would mark one of its first major over-the-air upgrades for the vehicle. Likely due to its size, the Cybertruck tends to receive FSD updates later than the S3XY lineup, which is quite surprising considering that the all-electric pickup truck is a premium-priced vehicle that is home to some of Tesla’s most advanced technologies.
Elon Musk just roasted Sam Altman’s Tesla Roadster cancellation
SpaceX successfully launches 100th Starlink mission of 2025
Tesla shares updated timeframe for Cybertruck FSD V14 release
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