SpaceX is yet to master its Starship spacecraft, but the company is already planning several steps ahead. As per recent updates from company leadership, SpaceX has started offering Starship services to Mars, and it has its first customer already.

Starship Updates

SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell recently posted an update about SpaceX’s Starship program on social media platform X. As per the executive, the private space company is now “offering Startup services to the red planet.” Shotwell also noted that SpaceX is working with the Italian Space Agency on an agreement.

Italian Space Agency President Teodoro Valente shared his excitement for the project in a post on X. As per Valente, the payloads in the mission would be gathering scientific data from Mars. 

“Italy is going to Mars! @ASI_Spazio and @SpaceX have signed a first-of-its-kind agreement to carry Italian experiments on the first Starship flights to Mars with customers. The payloads will gather scientific data during the missions. Italy continues to lead in space exploration!” Valente wrote in his post.

Next Starship Flight

SpaceX is currently making preparations for the launch of Starship Flight 10, which is expected to be held sometime this August, as per previous comments from CEO Elon Musk. At the end of July, SpaceX fired up its Starship Upper Stage on its South Texas launch site. This ship is the second that SpaceX has earmarked for Flight 10, as noted in a Space.com report, since the first exploded on a test stand on June 18 just before a planned static fire test.

A fully-stacked Starship first took to the skies in April 2023. Unfortunately, the last three missions this year, which were launched in January, March, and May, all ended with the upper stage experiencing a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) before its planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean. 

Tesla seems determined to provide autonomous ride-hailing services to regular customers in the Bay Area. As per Elon Musk in recent comments on social media platform X, Tesla is currently working to expand its fleet for its Bay Area pilot, which should allow the company to provide ride-hailing services to more customers. 

Tesla Robotaxi Bay Area rollout

At the end of last month, Tesla launched its Robotaxi service in the Bay Area. The Bay Area geofence for Tesla’s Robotaxi pilot is massive, dwarfing the Austin geofence’s current 80 square miles. Customers who opt for a ride from one end of the Bay Area geofence to the other could expect to travel about 65 miles, a 1 hour 15 minute commute.

Tesla, however, has been careful not to brand its ride-hailing service in the Bay Area as a Robotaxi pilot. Unlike in Austin, Tesla’s pilot in the Bay Area also uses a safety driver in the driver’s seat. Elon Musk mentioned on X that Tesla has to be careful not to use the words “taxi” or “cab” in California to describe its current pilot. 

Bay Area fleet expansion

Apart from his comment about the Bay Area pilot’s name, Elon Musk also noted that Tesla is looking to expand its fleet in its ongoing pilot. As per the CEO, Tesla is currently “working as quickly as possible to get 100+ Teslas operating for autonomous ride-hailing in the Bay Area.” Musk stated that this expansion should allow “anyone to request a ride.”

While the Tesla Robotaxi pilot in Austin and the Bay Area are still only in their initial stages, they are growing very quickly. The Austin geofence was expanded weeks into its launch, and expectations are high that another expansion will be coming soon. With more autonomous cars available in the Bay Area soon, Tesla’s ride-hailing service could very well become a common sight on public roads sooner than expected. 

The Tesla Cybertruck is wanted by the United States Air Force as the military branch is buying up a fleet of vehicles specifically for use as targets in munitions training and testing.

The Air Force listed the Cybertruck among 33 total vehicles that will be used specifically to support the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)’s Standoff Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM) training and tests.

The Cybertruck was specifically chosen because of its durability, the Air Force states in filings that are public:

“[Redacted] intends to uses specific Tesla-manufactured vehicles for target vehicle training flight test events. In the operating theatre it is likely the type of vehicles used by the enemy may transition to Tesla Cyber trucks as they have been found not to receive the normal extent of damage expected upon major impact. Testing needs to mirror real world situations. The intent of the training is to prep the units for operations by simulating scenarios as closely as possible to the real-world situations.”

The documents also state:

“On 13 February 2025, market research was conducted to assess the competition for the Tesla Cybertruck by evaluating its design, materials, impact resistance, and innovative technologies. The study revealed that the Cybertruck’s aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, sets it apart from competitors typically using painted steel or aluminum bodies. Additionally, its 48V electrical architecture provides superior power and efficiency, a feature that rivals are only beginning to develop. Extensive internet searches and industry outreach by [redacted] found no vehicles with features comparable to those of the Cybertruck.”

In all, the testing will require sedans, Bongo trucks, pickup trucks, SUVs, and the Cybertruck.

It is not the first time the vehicle has been listed as a potential candidate for military or government applications.

Back in February, Tesla was listed as the company projected to win what would be a $400 million contract from the U.S. Department of State for the purchase of armored EVs to be used for government purposes.

Tesla’s name was specifically listed, but was later removed, and CEO Elon Musk said he was not aware of Tesla being mentioned or offered the contract.

This contract with the Cybertruck and the U.S. Air Force was released today, and it lists “offers due” as tomorrow. It will become inactive 15 days after that, on August 22.