News
Rocket Lab “In Focus” mission ready to launch after scrubbed first attempt
On Wednesday, October 21, Rocket Lab held a launch countdown ahead of the fifteenth mission of its small rocket, Electron. The mission nicknamed “In Focus,” was slated to take off from the company’s primary launch pad at Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Ultimately, the launch attempt was scrubbed due to an off-nominal oxygen sensor.
Rocket Lab did not immediately disclose a new targeted launch date, but did state that the launch window for the “In Focus” mission extended for nearly two-weeks. Rocket Lab founder and chief executive officer, Peter Beck, said in a Twitter post that, “the team’s taking the time to make sure it’s just the sensor and nothing else.” Beck also stated that weather moving into the area could pose a challenge for finding a new acceptable launch date.
Just two days later, Rocket Lab announced that a second launch attempt of the rideshare mission supporting ten Earth-observation satellites would occur at 5:14pm EDT (21:14 UTC) Wednesday, October 28. Should the second attempt be thwarted by uncooperative weather, daily opportunities to launch Electron are available until November 3.
What’s on board:
The fifteenth overall flight of Electron and fifth mission of 2020, is a rideshare mission that supports payloads for Canon Electronics Inc. and Earth-imaging services provider Planet. The payload, carefully mounted on the Rocket Lab Electron Kick Stage, consists of one nine SuperDove Flock 4e Planet microsatellites inside of Rocket Lab’s protective Maxwell payload dispensers. The entire stack is topped by Canon Electronics Inc.’s CE-SAT-IIB satellite procured by mission management provider Spaceflight Inc. All ten payloads are securely fixed atop the Electron Kick Stage.
The Electron Kick Stage – a capable extra stage on Electron – is designed to circularize orbits and deploy multiple payloads to independent and precise destinations. The Kick Stage is powered by a small, but powerful Curie engine. All ten of the satellite payloads aboard the “In Focus” mission are expected to be delivered to a 500km morning-crossing Sun Synchronous Orbit.
Prior to flight, the payload was encapsulated inside of the Electron’s protective payload fairing. In traditional fashion, Rocket Lab outfitted the fairing with the mission patch artwork created specifically for Electron’s fifteenth “In Focus” mission.
After encapsulation inside the fairing, the payload was integrated with the Electron first-stage booster. After a short trip from the assembly facility, Electron was raised vertically at Launch Complex 1 to complete a successful wet dress rehearsal – a standard pre-flight run-through of all launch procedures. The purpose of the wet dress rehearsal is to run through all of the launch day procedures including filling the rocket with RP-1 – a rocket grade kerosene – and liquid oxygen.
Launch teams conducted the practice launch on Thursday, October 8 proceeding through all countdown milestones right up until T-0 and engine ignition. This process ensures that the vehicle and launch teams are ready for flight. It also provides an opportunity to catch and address any anomalies that may arise prior to launch day.
What to expect on launch day:
Approximately four hours ahead of the launch attempt Rocket Lab will once again return Electron to vertical launching position at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. In the time prior to the fueling of the rocket, safety checks of the launch complex will be conducted and marine hazard zones and airspace will be closed and secured to all traffic. Fueling of the rocket will begin just two hours ahead of the launch attempt.
At T-0 Electron will be propelled to space by nine 3D-printed Rutherford electro-turbopump engines. Approximately 2 minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff Electron’s first stage will separate while the second stage engine ignites. Unique to the Electron, a “hot swap” of the batteries powering the electro-turbopump of the second stage will be performed – swapping out the power source of expelled batteries with new ones – at 6 minutes and 32 seconds after liftoff. The second stage is expected to arrive at an initial parking orbit approximately 8 minutes and 54 seconds after liftoff.
A brief ten seconds later the Kick Stage will separate from the second stage. Approximately 51 minutes and 06 seconds after liftoff the Kick Stage’s Curie engine will ignite to propel the payloads to their final circular Sun-Synchronous Orbits. Payload deployment is expected at the 60-minute mark after liftoff.
Rocket Lab will provide a live hosted webcast of the second launch attempt of the “In Focus” mission on Wednesday, October 28 on the company’s YouTube channel approximately fifteen minutes before liftoff. Should a scrub occur, Rocket Lab will announce a new targeted launch date on the company’s social media channels.
Elon Musk
What is Digital Optimus? The new Tesla and xAI project explained
At its core, Digital Optimus operates through a dual-process architecture inspired by human cognition.
Tesla and xAI announced their groundbreaking joint project, Digital Optimus, also nicknamed “Macrohard” in a humorous jab at Microsoft, earlier this week.
This software-based AI agent is designed to automate complex office workflows by observing and replicating human interactions with computers. As the first major outcome of Tesla’s $2 billion investment in xAI, it represents a powerful fusion of hardware efficiency and advanced reasoning.
At its core, Digital Optimus operates through a dual-process architecture inspired by human cognition.
Macrohard or Digital Optimus is a joint xAI-Tesla project, coming as part of Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI.
Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2026
Tesla’s specialized AI acts as “System 1”—the fast, instinctive executor—processing the past five seconds of real-time computer screen video along with keyboard and mouse actions to perform immediate tasks.
xAI’s Grok model serves as “System 2,” the strategic “master conductor” or navigator, providing high-level reasoning, world understanding, and directional oversight, much like an advanced turn-by-turn navigation system.
When combined, the two can create a powerful AI-based assistant that can complete everything from accounting work to HR tasks.
Will Tesla join the fold? Predicting a triple merger with SpaceX and xAI
The system runs primarily on Tesla’s low-cost AI4 inference chip, minimizing expensive Nvidia resources from xAI for competitive, real-time performance.
Elon Musk described it as “the only real-time smart AI system” capable, in principle, of emulating the functions of entire companies, handling everything from accounting and HR to repetitive digital operations.
Timelines point to swift deployment. Announced just days ago, Musk expects Digital Optimus to be ready for user experience within about six months, targeting rollout around September 2026.
It will integrate into all AI4-equipped Tesla vehicles, enabling parked cars to handle office work during downtime. Millions of dedicated units are also planned for deployment at Supercharger stations, tapping into roughly 7 gigawatts of available power.
Oh and it works in all AI4-equipped cars, so your car can do office work for you when not driving.
We’re also deploying millions of dedicated Digital Optimus units in the field at Superchargers where we have ~7 gigawatts of available power.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 12, 2026
Digital Optimus directly supports Tesla’s broader autonomy strategy. It leverages the same end-to-end neural networks, computer vision, and real-time decision-making tech that power Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and the physical Optimus humanoid robot.
By repurposing idle vehicle compute and extending AI4 hardware beyond driving, the project scales Tesla’s autonomy ecosystem from roads to digital workspaces.
As a virtual counterpart to physical Optimus, it divides labor: software agents manage screen-based tasks while humanoid robots tackle physical ones, accelerating Tesla’s vision of general-purpose AI for productivity, Robotaxi fleets, and beyond.
In essence, Digital Optimus bridges Tesla’s vehicle and robotics autonomy with enterprise-scale AI, promising massive efficiency gains. No other company currently matches its real-time capabilities on such accessible hardware.
It really could be one of the most crucial developments Tesla and xAI begin to integrate, as it could revolutionize how people work and travel.
News
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla is adding an awesome new driving feature to Model Y vehicles, effective on Juniper-updated models considered model year 2026 or newer.
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:
“Your Tesla now provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.”
🚨 Tesla has added a new “Comfort Braking” update with 2026.8
“Your Tesla provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.” https://t.co/afqCpBSVeA pic.twitter.com/C6MRmzfzls
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
Interestingly, we’re not too sure what catalyzed Tesla to try to improve braking smoothness, because it hasn’t seemed overly abrupt or rough from my perspective. Although the brake pedal in my Model Y is rarely used due to Regenerative Braking, it seems Tesla wanted to try to make the ride comfort even smoother for owners.
There is always room for improvement, though, and it seems that there is a way to make braking smoother for passengers while the vehicle is coming to a stop.
This is far from the first time Tesla has attempted to improve its ride comfort through Over-the-Air updates, as it has rolled out updates to improve regenerative braking performance, handling while using Full Self-Driving, improvements to Steer-by-Wire to Cybertruck, and even recent releases that have combatted Active Road Noise.
Tesla holds a unique ability to change the functionality of its vehicles through software updates, which have come in handy for many things, including remedying certain recalls and shipping new features to the Full Self-Driving suite.
Tesla seems to have the most seamless OTA processes, as many automakers have the ability to ship improvements through a simple software update.
We’re really excited to test the update, so when we get an opportunity to try out Comfort Braking when it makes it to our Model Y.
News
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android.
Tesla is finally bringing an update of its Robotaxi platform that Android users will love — mostly because it seems like they will finally be able to use the ride-hailing platform that the company has had active since last June.
Based on a decompile of software version 26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app, Tesla looks to be ready to roll out access to Android users.
According to the breakdown, performed by Tesla App Updates, the company is preparing to roll out an Android version of the app as it is developing several features for that operating system.
🚨 It looks like Tesla is preparing to launch the Robotaxi app for Android users at last!
A decompile of v26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app shows some progress on the Android side for Robotaxi 🤖 🚗 https://t.co/mThmoYuVLy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android:
“Strings like notification_channel_robotaxid_trip_name and android_native_alicorn_eta_text show exactly how Tesla plans to replicate the iOS Live Activities experience. Instead of standard push alerts, Android users are getting a persistent, dynamically updating notification channel.”
This is a big step forward for several reasons. From a face-value perspective, Tesla is finally ready to offer Robotaxi to Android users.
The company has routinely prioritized Apple releases because there is a higher concentration of iPhone users in its ownership base. Additionally, the development process for Apple is simply less laborious.
Tesla is working to increase Android capabilities in its vehicles
Secondly, the Robotaxi rollout has been a typical example of “slowly then all at once.”
Tesla initially released Robotaxi access to a handful of media members and influencers. Eventually, it was expanded to more users, so that anyone using an iOS device could download the app and hail a semi-autonomous ride in Austin or the Bay Area.
Opening up the user base to Android users may show that Tesla is preparing to allow even more users to utilize its Robotaxi platform, and although it seems to be a few months away from only offering fully autonomous rides to anyone with app access, the expansion of the user base to an entirely different user base definitely seems like its a step in the right direction.
What is Digital Optimus? The new Tesla and xAI project explained
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
