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NASA questions SpaceX fueling protocol for future manned missions
An advisory committee at NASA has warned Elon Musk and SpaceX that its protocol for fueling rockets is unreasonably dangerous, saying the system is too risky to be used for future manned missions.
The system SpaceX has devised calls for the liquid oxygen and hydrogen used to fuel the Falcon 9 booster to be supercooled before being loaded aboard the space craft. The lowered temperature allows more of each to fit inside the fuel tanks. More fuel means more power which translates into an ability to carry heavier payloads.
The problem that arises with that procedure is the fueling is not completed until 30 minutes before launch. Using the SpaceX method, astronauts must be on board during the fueling process. Standard procedure at NASA is to board the astronauts after fueling is complete because the fueling process is deemed too dangerous to do while people are sitting on top of the rocket.
Retired Air Force general Thomas Stafford, who commanded the Apollo 10 mission to the moon, tells the Wall Street Journal that fueling is “a hazardous operation.” He says the protocol devised by SpaceX is considered dangerous by many experts, “particularly the people who had experience over the years.” NASA repeated its warnings at a meeting with the company on Monday.
For its part, SpaceX claims the emergency rescue system it has devised for the space capsule is an adequate answer. A spokesperson says the company “has designed a reliable fueling and launch process that minimizes the duration and number of personnel exposed to the hazards of launching a rocket.”
-->That system encircles the capsule with a number of external rockets that can blast it up and away from an explosion on the launch pad and deposit the astronauts safely out of harm’s way down range. But NASA must ultimately sign off on that plan before any manned space flights occur.
Transporting people to and from the International Space Station is expected to provide a significant amount of the revenue SpaceX will require to meet its needs and continue its Mars exploration agenda. Even Musk’s pockets are not deep enough to fund all the projects SpaceX has planned without help.
SpaceX believes the explosion that destroyed the Falcon 9 rocket September 1 was caused when the helium tank located inside the liquid oxygen tank ruptured. The company believes the rupture was the result of a complex number of variables associated with the pressurization of the tank.
A statement issued by SpaceX after the meeting on Monday states, “Over the last year and a half, NASA and SpaceX have performed a detailed analysis of all potential hazards” stemming from the fueling process. It says all required controls were approved by NASA officials in July. “These analyses and controls will be carefully evaluated in light of all data and corrective actions resulting from” the investigation of the September 1 incident, the statement said.
All Falcon 9 rockets have been grounded since the explosion. SpaceX has previously said that it expects to resume space flights this month.
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News
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
-->For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
Tesla appears to be making a change to its exterior side repeater cameras, which are used for the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, and other features, like Sentry Mode.
The change appears to be a potential upgrade in preparation for the AI5 suite, which CEO Elon Musk said will be present on a handful of vehicles next year, but will not be widely implemented until 2027.
Currently, Tesla uses a Sony sensor lens with the model number IMX963, a 5-megapixel camera with better dynamic range and low-light performance over the past iteration in Hardware 3 vehicles. Cameras in HW3 cars were only 1.2 megapixels.
However, Tesla is looking to upgrade, it appears, as Tesla hacker greentheonly has spotted a new sensor model in its firmware code, with the model number IMX00N being explicitly mentioned:
Looks like Tesla is changing (upgrading?) cameras in (some?) new cars produced.
Where as HW4 to date used exterior cameras with IMX963, now they (might potentially) have something called IMX00N— green (@greentheonly) December 1, 2025
Sony has not announced any formal specifications for the IMX00N model, and although IMX963 has been used in AI4/HW4 vehicles, it only makes sense that Tesla would prepare to upgrade these external cameras once again in preparation for what it believes to be the second hardware iteration capable of fully autonomous self-driving.
Tesla has maintained that AI4/HW4 vehicles are capable of self-driving operation, but AI5 will likely help the company make significant strides, especially in terms of overall performance and data collection.
Tesla last updated its exterior cameras on its vehicles back in early 2023, as it transitioned to the 5-megapixel IMX963. It also added additional cameras to its vehicles in January with the new Model Y, which featured an additional lens on the front bumper to help with Full Self-Driving.
Tesla’s new self-driving computer (HW4): more cameras, radar, and more
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
Tesla bear gets blunt with beliefs over company valuation
