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NASA to livestream first Mars landing in six years on November 26 with InSight lander
On Monday, November 26, 2018, a Mars lander will arrive on the surface of the red planet for the first time in six years, and NASA will broadcast the event live on their TV channel and website. The craft’s name is “InSight”, and it’s scheduled to complete its journey begun May 5, 2018 on an Atlas V rocket by setting down onto Martian regolith at approximately 3 pm EST. A video stream of Mission Control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California will be available where viewers can listen to live landing commentary. InSight’s descent itself will not have a video component; however, photographs of the craft while parachuting and shortly after landing may be transmitted.
Truly enjoyed the experience of my first AtlasV launch, and all the excitement surrounding this incredible mission! Rather surprised my remote cams survived AND managed to capture *anything* in that totally rude fog. 🙂 Here are a couple shots. @NASAInSight @ulalaunch pic.twitter.com/XEH4zBLWpu
— Pauline Acalin (@w00ki33) May 5, 2018
InSight’s name is short for “Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport”, and as the name implies, its mission is to collect seismographic data from the surface of Mars in order to gather information about the planet’s core. The lander has six instruments on board that will propogate seismic waves through Mars’s interior after hammering a probe about 10-16 feet into the ground, a process which will take about 2-3 months to complete. The vibrations measured at the surface will then be measured and interpreted to reveal details about its layers and, by extension, the early formation of both it and Earth.
Unlike a rocket launch where delays are always possible, you can safely mark your calendar for this event. NASA can’t change this date even if they wanted to thanks to the physics involved in the lander’s interplanetary flight. If you’re interested in celebrating InSight’s Martian arrival in a community setting, watch parties open to the public are planned at scientific facilities and libraries around the world.
InSight in a clean room at Vandenberg AFB in California. | Credit: Pauline Acalin
Viewers of the live streamed landing will hear updates from scientists as they track InSight’s journey from a fiery entry speed of 12,300 mph to a 5 mph landing speed. Drag against the craft’s heat shield, parachutes, and retrorockets will slow its descent. The mission’s scientists hope to receive an image of the Martian surface shortly after, but they’ve cautioned that the initial photos will likely be cloudy due to dust kicked up from the event.
InSight will land in Mars’s Elysium Planitia (“the biggest parking lot on Mars”), an area near the planet’s equator. Its closest Earth-sent neighbor, the Curiosity rover, will be 240 miles away, and twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity will be located 1,600 and 5,200 miles away, respectively. Once on the surface, InSight’s first steps will be to unpack and deploy its solar panels to ensure power for the rest of its instruments.
The solar panels will provide about 600-700 watts on a clear Martian day, 200-300 during dustier conditions. For more perspective on this power source, NASA’s press release likened its maximum wattage to the requirements of a household blender (500 watts). The amount of energy converted just falls short of running a coffee machine (1000 watts), but plenty to “wake up” the lander after sleep, even if not a human.
As a bonus for space fans, InSight did not set out on its interplanetary mission alone. Twin demonstration mini satellites named “Mars Cube One” (MarCO) launched with the lander and traveled separately to the planet. Along with having completed successful radio, antennae, steering, and propulsion tests during their journey, MarCo will test a new kind of data relay from Mars orbit during InSight’s descent to the surface. InSight will not depend on successful transmissions to and from MarCo to land.
MarCO also marks the first deep space mission for a type of tiny satellite called “CubeSats”, a class characterized by a small form factor and miniaturized technologies that are often commercial, off-the-shelf components. MarCO fits this category and each satellite is about the size of a briefcase. The significantly lower development and launch costs of CubeSats compared to larger satellites have already opened space science to students and limited budget commercial initiatives. The success of MarCO in the deep space environment will now potentially open up interplanetary exploration beyond government agencies to encompass more civilian initiatives.
Watch NASA’s video below to learn more about the lander:
News
Tesla Europe builds momentum with expanding FSD demos and regional launches
Needless to say, it appears that Tesla is putting in some serious effort into boosting sales in Europe this year.
Tesla has been notably active across Europe in recent weeks, expanding its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along program, entering a new market, and showcasing its newest vehicles across multiple regions.
Needless to say, it appears that Tesla is putting in some serious effort into boosting sales in Europe this year.
Tesla Europe recently announced the expansion of its FSD (Supervised) ride-along experiences, inviting the public to experience the system on local roads. Initially available in Italy, France, and Germany when it launched, the program has now expanded to Hungary, Finland, and Spain.
The ride-along program allows participants to ride in the passenger seat and observe how FSD Supervised handles real-world traffic scenarios, including dense urban driving and other challenging conditions. Tesla has positioned the initiative as a way to familiarize European drivers and regulators with the system’s capabilities in everyday use. The program has received positive reviews so far, with many being impressed by FSD’s real-world capabilities.
Tesla also recently launched operations in Slovakia with a pop-up store and multi-day public event in Bratislava, as noted in an EV Wire report. The launch, held from January 16 to 18 at the Eurovea Mall Promenade, featured test drives, vehicle displays, including the Cybertruck, as well as family-focused attractions such as a mini-Tesla racetrack.
Local observers noted that Tesla Optimus was also shown at the event, while the Tesla Owners Slovakia club welcomed the brand with a coordinated light show near the Slovak National Theater. Tesla Europe later shared its appreciation for Slovakia in a post on its official social media account on X, stating, “Thanks, Slovakia, for the amazing last 3 days & for giving us such a warm welcome!”
Tesla’s Slovakia entry follows a familiar pattern used by the company in other European markets. Tesla opened a pop-up store in Bratislava as an initial step, with plans for a permanent showroom and a potential service center at a renovated site previously occupied by a Jeep and Dodge dealership. Tesla has used a similar approach in markets such as Czechia and Lithuania, where permanent facilities followed within a few months of pop-up launches.
Slovakia already has six Supercharging sites totaling 46 Superchargers, including two locations in Bratislava, providing early infrastructure support for Tesla owners. Tesla staff program manager Supratik Saha described the Slovakia launch as a strategic expansion in the heart of the EU, citing the country’s strong automotive manufacturing base and appetite for advanced technology.
Beyond the EU, the company also marked another milestone with the first Cybertruck deliveries in the United Arab Emirates, signaling continued geographic expansion for Tesla’s newest vehicle. Just like Tesla Slovakia, the Cybertruck also received a warm welcome from the UAE’s EV community.
News
Tesla Sweden maintains Trelleborg port deal despite union blockade
As noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA), Tesla was able to maintain its storage agreement with the Port of Trelleborg.
Tesla Sweden is still storing vehicles at the Port of Trelleborg despite the ongoing blockades against the company from the country’s labor unions.
Tesla still at Port of Trelleborg
As noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA), Tesla was able to maintain its storage agreement with the Port of Trelleborg. This allows the company to keep vehicles at the port while imports into Sweden continue. This was despite the Transport Workers’ Union’s blockade, which was aimed at halting the loading and unloading of Tesla vehicles in the area.
Local union leader Jörgen Wärja, chairman of Transport and an employee representative on the port company’s board, confirmed that the agreement was still active. “The agreement has not been terminated. You want to have the money instead of having empty warehouses. I understand the reason, but I do not support it,” Wärja said
The local union leader also noted that he visited Tesla’s storage area earlier this week. “There were a lot of cars. I was surprised that there were so many, actually,” he said.
Tesla had been able to bring vehicles into Sweden via passenger ferries at Trelleborg, a method that unions said allowed the company to bypass the blockade, DA noted. According to estimates from IF Metall, the workaround enabled Tesla to deliver thousands of cars to Sweden each year.
Port defends decision
The Port of Trelleborg did not issue a comment on its current agreement with Tesla, but said it had complied with union sympathy measures. Documents reviewed by Swedish media showed that the contract with Tesla was being extended in six-month intervals.
Port CEO Malin Collin noted that the port would not discuss individual customer arrangements. “We do not go into details regarding any customer agreements. We have continuous dialogue with potential tenants, and this is not unique to any location,” Collin wrote in an email.
The CEO added that the port was following legal requirements related to the labor dispute. “We have taken note of the Transport Workers’ Union’s decision on sympathy measures and are of course following applicable legislation and the requirements placed on us as employers,” Collin said.
Jörgen Wärja, for his part, stated that the issue was not whether Tesla’s imports into Sweden could be fully stopped, but whether the port should provide logistical support to the electric vehicle maker during an active conflict. “The port shouldn’t have anything to do with Tesla at all, we believe,” he said. “It’s purely moral. Whether you honor a conflict or not. If you say you support Transport’s sympathetic actions against Tesla, it becomes a double standard.”
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares insights on SpaceX and Tesla’s potential scale
In a pair of recent posts on X, Musk argued that both companies operate in domains where growth is not linear, but exponential.
Elon Musk outlined why he believes Tesla and SpaceX ultimately dwarf their competitors, pointing to autonomy, robotics, and space-based energy as forces that fundamentally reshape economic scale.
In a pair of recent posts on X, Musk argued that both companies operate in domains where growth is not linear, but exponential.
Space-based energy
In a response to a user on X who observed that SpaceX has a larger valuation than all six US defense companies combined, Musk explained that space-based industries will eventually surpass the total economic value of Earth. He noted that space allows humanity to harness roughly 100,000 times more energy than Earth currently uses, while still consuming less than a millionth of the Sun’s total energy output.
That level of available energy should enable the emergence and development of industries that are simply not possible within Earth’s physical and environmental constraints. Continuous solar exposure in space, as per Musk’s comment, removes limitations imposed by atmosphere, weather, and land availability.
Autonomy and robots
In a follow-up post, Elon Musk explaned that “due to autonomy, Tesla is worth more than the rest of the auto industry.” Musk added that this assessment does not yet account for Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. As per the CEO, once Optimus reaches scaled production, it could increase Earth’s gross domestic product by an order of magnitude, ultimately paving the way for sustainable abundance.
Even before the advent of Optimus, however, Tesla’s autonomous driving system already gives vehicles the option to become revenue-generating assets through services like the Tesla Robotaxi network. Tesla’s autonomous efforts seem to be on the verge of paying off, as services like the Robotaxi network have already been launched in its initial stages in Austin and the Bay Area.
Tesla Europe builds momentum with expanding FSD demos and regional launches
Tesla Sweden maintains Trelleborg port deal despite union blockade
