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Livestream: SpaceX is about to launch its newest batch of Starlink satellites

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SpaceX is ready to launch and land its reusable Falcon 9 booster just one month after an in-flight engine anomaly. Originally slated to occur April 16th, the Starlink-6 mission (seventh overall) sending the next batch of 60 flat-stack Starlink satellites to orbit slipped to Thursday, April 23rd following a successful static fire test of all nine Merlin 1D engines on Friday, April 17th.

However, weather conditions can sometimes be formidable in Florida. In a somewhat unprecedented move, SpaceX announced via the company’s Twitter account that the launch attempt would be moved up a day to Wednesday, April 22nd. The change allows the launcher to take advantage of more favorable weather conditions at the launch pad and recovery zone.

As identified by the 45th Weather Squadron of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the launch opportunity window on Wednesday, April 22nd, provides a 90% chance of ‘GO’ weather conditions, while the now back-up launch opportunity on Thursday deteriorates drastically to only a 50% chance of appropriate launch conditions. The weather change is due to a cold front that is expected to drop through the state on Thursday.

Weather conditions at the recovery zone also proved to be more favorable for a Wednesday launch. On Wednesday’s the recovery weather conditions have a “low” amount of risk as assessed by the 45th Weather Squadron, while the back-up launch day of Thursday brings “high” risk. Overall, launching on Wednesday avoids the risk of potentially dangerous cumulus clouds and wind, both at the ground level and aloft in the atmosphere.

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Wednesday’s launch attempt will also serve as a return to attempted landing and recovery procedures for SpaceX. Following two failed booster recovery attempts with the most recent Starlink missions, SpaceX hopes to nail recovery efforts of the booster and protective fairing nose one halves today.

Along with a re-used booster, the Starlink-6 mission features a re-used protective nose cone, called a payload fairing. Unlike previous Starlink missions that have flown with a re-used fairing, Starlink-6 features a fairing half that was caught in the net of one of the recovery vessels while the other half was recovered following a soft water landing. This will be the first time that SpaceX is utilizing fairing halves recovered by different methods. Until now, the recovered fairings that have been used were plucked from the water of the Atlantic ocean after a soft water-landing.

On Sunday, April 19th, the autonomous spaceport drone ship, Of Course I Still Love, departed Port Canaveral for the recovery zone some 629km downrange quickly followed by the fairing recovery vessels, GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief. If successful, SpaceX will have successfully launched and landed the B1051 Falcon 9 booster for a fourth time.

At time of article publishing, SpaceX announced via Twitter that the launch attempt had moved even further up to a targeted liftoff time of 3:30pm EDT/19:30pm UTC from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX cover the launch live with a webcast scheduled to begin 15 minutes prior to launch found at https://www.spacex.com/webcast or viewed below.

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Cybertruck

Tesla confirms date when new Cybertruck trim will go up in price

Tesla has officially revealed that this price will only be available until February 28, as the company has placed a banner atop the Design Configurator on its website reflecting this.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has confirmed the date when its newest Cybertruck trim level will increase in price, after CEO Elon Musk noted that the All-Wheel-Drive configuration of the all-electric pickup would only be priced at its near-bargain level for ten days.

Last week, Tesla launched the All-Wheel-Drive configuration of the Cybertruck. Priced at $59,990, the Cybertruck featured many excellent features and has seemingly brought some demand to the pickup, which has been underwhelming in terms of sales figures over the past couple of years.

Tesla launches new Cybertruck trim with more features than ever for a low price

When Tesla launched it, many fans and current owners mulled the possibility of ordering it. However,  Musk came out and said just hours after launching the pickup that Tesla would only keep it at the $59,990 price level for ten days.

What it would be priced at subsequently was totally dependent on how much demand Tesla felt for the new trim level, which is labeled as a “Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive” configuration.

Tesla has officially revealed that this price will only be available until February 28, as the company has placed a banner atop the Design Configurator on its website reflecting this:

Many fans and owners have criticized Tesla’s decision to unveil a trim this way, and then price it at something, only to change that price a few days later based on how well it sells.

It seems the most ideal increase in price would be somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000, but it truly depends on how many orders Tesla sees for this new trim level. The next step up in configuration is the Premium All-Wheel-Drive, which is priced at $79,990.

The difference between the Dual Motor AWD Cybertruck and the Premium AWD configuration comes down to towing, interior quality, and general features. The base package is only capable of towing up to 7,500 pounds, while the Premium can handle 11,000 pounds. Additionally, the seats in the Premium build are Vegan Leather, while the base trim gets the textile seats.

It also has only 7 speakers compared to the 15 that the Premium trim has. Additionally, the base model does not have an adjustable ride height, although it does have a coil spring with an adaptive damping suspension package.

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Tesla set to activate long-awaited Cybertruck feature

Tesla will officially activate the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on Cybertruck soon, as the company has officially added the feature to its list of features by trim on its website.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is set to activate a long-awaited Cybertruck feature, and no matter when you bought your all-electric pickup, it has the hardware capable of achieving what it is designed to do.

Tesla simply has to flip the switch, and it plans to do so in the near future.

Tesla will officially activate the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on Cybertruck soon, according to Not a Tesla App, as the company has officially added the feature to its list of features by trim on its website.

Tesla rolls out Active Road Noise Reduction for new Model S and Model X

The ANC feature suddenly appeared on the spec sheet for the Premium All-Wheel-Drive and Cyberbeast trims, which are the two configurations that have been delivered since November 2023.

However, those trims have both had the ANC disabled, and although they are found in the Model S and Model X, and are active in those vehicles, Tesla is planning to activate them.

In Tesla’s Service Toolbox, it wrote:

ANC software is not enabled on Cybertruck even though the hardware is installed.”

Tesla has utilized an ANC system in the Model S and Model X since 2021. The system uses microphones embedded in the front seat headrests to detect low-frequency road noise entering the cabin. It then generates anti-noise through phase-inverted sound waves to cancel out or reduce that noise, creating quieter zones, particularly around the vehicle’s front occupants.

The Model S and Model X utilize six microphones to achieve this noise cancellation, while the Cybertruck has just four.

Tesla Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD estimated delivery slips to early fall 2026

As previously mentioned, this will be activated through a software update, as the hardware is already available within Cybertruck and can simply be activated at Tesla’s leisure.

The delays in activating the system are likely due to Tesla Cybertruck’s unique design, which is unlike anything before. In the Model S and Model X, Tesla did not have to do too much, but the Cybertruck has heavier all-terrain tires and potentially issues from the aluminum castings that make up the vehicle’s chassis, which are probably presenting some challenges.

Unfortunately, this feature will not be available on the new Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive configuration, which was released last week.

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Tesla Model S and X customization options begin to thin as their closure nears

Tesla’s Online Design Studio for both vehicles now shows the first color option to be listed as “Sold Out,” as Lunar Silver is officially no longer available for the Model S or Model X. This color is exclusive to these cars and not available on the Model S or Model X.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Model S and Model X customization options are beginning to thin for the first time as the closure of the two “sentimental” vehicles nears.

We are officially seeing the first options disappear as Tesla begins to work toward ending production of the two cars and the options that are available to those vehicles specifically.

Tesla’s Online Design Studio for both vehicles now shows the first color option to be listed as “Sold Out,” as Lunar Silver is officially no longer available for the Model S or Model X. This color is exclusive to these cars and not available on the Model S or Model X.

Tesla is making way for the Optimus humanoid robot project at the Fremont Factory, where the Model S and Model X are produced. The two cars are low-volume models and do not contribute more than a few percent to Tesla’s yearly delivery figures.

With CEO Elon Musk confirming that the Model S and Model X would officially be phased out at the end of the quarter, some of the options are being thinned out.

This is an expected move considering Tesla’s plans for the two vehicles, as it will make for an easier process of transitioning that portion of the Fremont plant to cater to Optimus manufacturing. Additionally, this is likely one of the least popular colors, and Tesla is choosing to only keep around what it is seeing routine demand for.

During the Q4 Earnings Call in January, Musk confirmed the end of the Model S and Model X:

“It is time to bring the Model S and Model X programs to an end with an honorable discharge. It is time to bring the S/X programs to an end. It’s part of our overall shift to an autonomous future.”

Fremont will now build one million Optimus units per year as production is ramped.

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