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Elon Musk’s Reddit AMA: Mars mission, upgrades to Falcon 9 and more
Yesterday, Elon Musk oh-so-kindly reached out on reddit to curious minds in an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session as a follow up to his September 27, 2016 talk at the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Thousands of questions were put forth by AMA contributors, and he provided 15 answers in true, Elon fashion. By that I mean taking fairly complicated questions and answering them in ways that make the original questions more understandable for the layperson (layperson = me). Also, one word responses to two-paragraph long questions.
This will be under /r/spacex, not the general AMA. Meant to be supplemental to the IAC talk.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 23, 2016
General Outline of AMA Topics
Elon couldn’t put every inquiry to rest, but he did provide some interesting things to chew over. The audience, of course, actively participated every step of the way. Among the topics, there was…
- Discussion on the types of power to be used for energy in the initial base of operations on Mars: Bets were on solar, doubts were on nuclear, and Elon seemed to play the methane card by referencing the Sabatier Reaction;
- A clarification on upgrades to the Falcon 9, including a new naming scheme that doesn’t exactly coincide with the current semi-scheme;
- A broad outline of steps planned for setting up the initial Martian base, Elon referring to it as “Mars Base Alpha”;
- Discussion on the technical clarifications, details, and priorities for actualizing the missions, including perhaps even changing the name of the rocket…again.
Oh and sadly, no details on any fantastic spray parks or coffee bars in the crew cabin. We’ll have to wait a “year or two” before knowing what’s actually going to go inside the thing. He did mention geodesic domes and underground tunnels for “city” considerations, though!
Top Takeaways (IMO)
While Elon’s remarks definitely set some mental wheels in motion, these were my top takeaways:
- Elon believes that the final Falcon 9 booster will be able to be reused indefinitely, production on that version to start in about three months;
- Early Mars missions will be cargo-centric, twelve-passenger crews assumed;
- The transport system booster should be able to withstand 30 to 50 g’s without breaking up (20 being the usual expected amount);
- SpaceX will release mockups of the Mars spacecraft interior “in a year or two”;
- The transport system booster will have an easier time landing than Falcon 9 due to mass ratio and density differences.
[Author’s note: It is going to be insane to watch those boosters land. Can you imagine the Saturn V landing itself? Wowza.]
Of course, my favorite part of reddit (no, really) is the humor. Here are a couple of funnies from this thread:
Final Words
Just a note of sympathy to anyone who’s ever felt a little overwhelmed by the technical knowledge discussions on the SpaceX subreddit (ahem, moi): I view it as akin to thinking you are a pretty knowledgeable cook and then watch an episode of Julia Child’s “The French Chef”. Just because you don’t know 182 ways to cook an egg doesn’t mean you’re not informed about cooking eggs nor are you disqualified from enjoying them. Some people just really really like knowing everything about eggs and can really get you thinking about eggs as multiple organ systems-turned gourmet meals instead of just the side that comes with your toast and home fries.
Onwards!
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Tesla Cybercab tests are going on overdrive with production-ready units
Tesla is ramping its real-world tests of the Cybercab, with multiple sightings of the vehicle being reported across social media this week.
Tesla is ramping its real-world tests of the Cybercab, with multiple sightings of the autonomous two-seater being reported across social media this week. Based on videos of the vehicle that have been shared online, it appears that Cybercab tests are underway across multiple states.
Recent Cybercab sightings
Reports of Cybercab tests have ramped this week, with a vehicle that looked like a production-ready prototype being spotted at Apple’s Visitor Center in California. The vehicle in this sighting was interesting as it was equipped with a steering wheel. The vehicle also featured some changes to the design of its brake lights.
The Cybercab was also filmed testing at the Fremont factory’s test track, which also seemed to involve a vehicle that looked production-ready. This also seemed to be the case for a Cybercab that was spotted in Austin, Texas, which happened to be undergoing real-world tests. Overall, these sightings suggest that Cybercab testing is fully underway, and the vehicle is really moving towards production.
Production design all but finalized?
Recently, a near-production-ready Cybercab was showcased at Tesla’s Santana Row showroom in San Jose. The vehicle was equipped with frameless windows, dual windshield wipers, powered butterfly door struts, an extended front splitter, an updated lightbar, new wheel covers, and a license plate bracket. Interior updates include redesigned dash/door panels, refined seats with center cupholders, updated carpet, and what appeared to be improved legroom.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that the Cybercab’s design has been all but finalized, at least considering Elon Musk’s comments at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. During the event, Musk confirmed that the vehicle will enter production around April 2026, and its production targets will be quite ambitious.
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Tesla gets a win in Sweden as union withdraws potentially “illegal” blockade
As per recent reports, the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla action might have been illegal.
Swedish union Vision has withdrawn its sympathy blockade against Tesla’s planned service center and showroom in Kalmar. As per recent reports, the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla action might have been illegal.
Vision’s decision to pull the blockade
Vision announced the blockade in early December, stating that it was targeting the administrative handling of Tesla’s facility permits in Kalmar municipality. The sympathy measure was expected to start Monday, but was formally withdrawn via documents sent to the Mediation Institute and Kalmar Municipality last week.
As noted in a Daggers Arbete report, plans for the strike were ultimately pulled after employer group SKR highlighted potential illegality under the Public Employment Act. Vision stressed its continued backing for the Swedish labor model, though Deputy negotiation manager Oskar Pettersson explained that the Vision union and IF Metall made the decision to cancel the planned strike together.
“We will not continue to challenge the regulations,” Petterson said. “The objection was of a technical nature. We made the assessment together with IF Metall that we were not in a position to challenge the legal assessment of whether we could take this particular action against Tesla. Therefore, we chose to revoke the notice itself.”
The SKR’s warning
Petterson also stated that SKR’s technical objection to the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla strike framed the protest as an unauthorized act. “It was a legal assessment of the situation. Both for us and for IF Metall, it is important to be clear that we stand for the Swedish model. But we should not continue to challenge the regulations and risk getting judgments that lead nowhere in the application of the regulations,” he said.
Vision ultimately canceled its planned blockade against Tesla on December 9. With Vision’s withdrawal, few obstacles remain for Tesla’s long-planned Kalmar site. A foreign electrical firm completed work this fall, and Tesla’s Careers page currently lists a full-time service manager position based there, signaling an imminent opening.
Tesla Semi Program Director Dan Priestly teased the major improvements to the all-electric Class 8 truck on Thursday night, following the company’s decision to overhaul the design earlier this year.
Priestley said he drove the Semi on Thursday, and the improvements appear to be welcomed by one of the minds behind the project. “Our customers are going to love it,” he concluded.
Just drove the redesigned Semi. Our customers are going to love it. https://t.co/KZ88sf1CDL
— Dan Priestley (@danWpriestley) December 19, 2025
The small detail does not seem like much, but it is coming from someone who has been involved in the development of the truck from A to Z. Priestley has been involved in the Semi program since November 2015 and has slowly worked his way through the ranks, and currently stands as the Director of the program.
Tesla Semi undergoes major redesign as dedicated factory preps for deliveries
Tesla made some major changes to the Semi design as it announced at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting that it changed the look and design to welcome improvements in efficiency.
Initially, Tesla adopted the blade-like light bar for the Semi, similar to the one that is present on the Model Y Premium and the Cybertruck.
Additionally, there are some slight aesthetic changes to help with efficiency, including a redesigned bumper with improved aero channels, a smaller wraparound windshield, and a smoother roofline for better aero performance.
All of these changes came as the company’s Semi Factory, which is located on Gigafactory Nevada’s property, was finishing up construction in preparation for initial production phases, as Tesla is planning to ramp up manufacturing next year. CEO Elon Musk has said the Semi has attracted “ridiculous demand.”
The Semi has already gathered many large companies that have signed up to buy units, including Frito-Lay and PepsiCo., which have been helping Tesla test the vehicle in a pilot program to test range, efficiency, and other important metrics that will be a major selling point.
Tesla will be the Semi’s first user, though, and the truck will help solve some of the company’s logistics needs in the coming years.
Tesla Cybercab tests are going on overdrive with production-ready units
Tesla gets a win in Sweden as union withdraws potentially “illegal” blockade
