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Rocket Lab prepares for back-to-back launches for NASA

Electron launching a previous NASA mission (Credit Rocket Lab)

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Rocket Lab is preparing for back-to-back missions for NASA, which will see them launch twice within three weeks from Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.

The first mission is named Ready, Aim, PREFIRE, with PREFIRE standing for Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment. The first launch will take place on May 22nd, and the second will follow three weeks after the successful deployment of the first launch. The second mission is named PREFIRE and Ice.

This mission will be the first time heat is measured in infrared and far-infrared wavelengths over the polar regions.

The 2 satellites will be deployed into a 525 km Sun-synchronous circular orbit that will crisscross over Artic and Antarctica as they measure infrared and far-infrared wavelengths over the polar regions. Each satellite is a 6U cubesat with a current mission time length of 10 months. These satellites will help scientists better form models to predict changes caused by global warming.

By selecting Rocket Lab to launch these back-to-back missions, NASA is able to get the 2 cubesats to orbit faster by using the dedicated launcher and not having to wait for a rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 or another launch vehicle.

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This won’t be Rocket Lab’s first back-to-back mission for NASA. They previously launched the TROPICS mission in May 2023, which also consisted of two launches in one month. Most recently, Rocket Lab launched the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System for NASA on April 24th.

These missions will be Rocket Lab’s 48th and 49th overall and the 6th and 7th of the year.

Rocket Lab has yet to announce if either mission will recover the Electron first stage.

Disclosure: Richard Angle is not an RKLB shareholder.

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Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.

Launch journalist, specializing in launch photography. Based on the Space Coast, a short drive from Cape Canaveral and the SpaceX launch pads.

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Tesla Cybercab production line is targeting hundreds of vehicles weekly: report

According to the report, Tesla has been adding staff and installing new equipment at its Austin factory as it prepares to begin Cybercab production. 

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Credit: Tesla/X

Tesla is reportedly designing its Cybercab production line to manufacture hundreds of the autonomous vehicles each week once mass production begins. The effort is underway at Gigafactory Texas in Austin as the company prepares to start building the Robotaxi at scale.

The details were reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing people reportedly familiar with the matter.

According to the report, Tesla has been adding staff and installing new equipment at its Austin factory as it prepares to begin Cybercab production. 

People reportedly familiar with Tesla’s plans stated that the company has been growing its staff and bringing in new equipment to start the mass production of the Cybercab this April.

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The Cybercab is Tesla’s upcoming fully autonomous two-seat vehicle designed without a steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle is intended to operate primarily as part of Tesla’s planned Robotaxi ride-hailing network. 

“There’s no fallback mechanism here. Like this car either drives itself or it does not drive,” Musk stated during Tesla’s previous earnings call.

Tesla has indicated that Cybercab production could begin as soon as April, though Elon Musk has noted that early production will likely be slow before ramping over time. Musk has stated that the Cybercab’s slow ramp is due in no small part to the fact that it is a completely new vehicle platform

Tesla’s Cybercab is designed to work with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and support its planned autonomous ride-hailing service. The company has suggested that the vehicle could cost under $30,000, making it one of Tesla’s most affordable models if produced at scale. Musk has confirmed in a previous X post that the vehicle will indeed be offered to regular consumers at a price below $30,000. 

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Musk has previously stated that Tesla could eventually produce millions of Cybercabs annually if demand and production capacity scale as planned.

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Tesla VP explains latest updates in trade secret theft case

Tesla reportedly caught Matthews copying the tech into machines that were sold to competitors, claiming they lied about doing so for three years, and continued to ship it. That is when Tesla chose to sue Matthews in July 2024 in Federal court, demanding over $1 billion in damages due to trade secret theft.

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tesla 4680
Credit: Tesla Inc.

Tesla Vice President Bonne Eggleston explained the latest updates in a trade secret theft case the company has against a former manufacturing equipment supplier, Matthews International.

Back in 2024, Tesla had filed a lawsuit against Matthews International, alleging that the firm stole trade secrets about battery manufacturing and shared those details with some of Tesla’s competitors.

Early last year, a U.S. District Court Judge denied Tesla’s request to block Matthews International from selling its dry battery electrode (DBE) technology across the world. The judge, Edward Davila, said that the patent for the tech was due to Matthews’ “extensive research and development.”

Tesla is suing a former supplier for trade secret theft

The two companies’ relationship began back in 2019, as Tesla hired Matthews to help build the equipment for its 4680 battery cell. Tesla shared confidential software, designs, and know-how under strict secrecy rules.

Fast forward a few years, and Tesla reportedly caught Matthews copying the tech into machines that were sold to competitors, claiming they lied about doing so for three years, and continued to ship it. That is when Tesla chose to sue Matthews in July 2024 in Federal court, demanding over $1 billion in damages due to trade secret theft.

Now, the latest twist, as this month, a Judge issued a permanent injunction—a court order banning Matthews from using certain stolen Tesla parts or designs in their machines. Matthews is also officially “liable” for damages. The exact amount would still to be calculated later.

Bonne Eggleston, a VP for Tesla, said on X today that Matthews is a supplier who “exploited customer IP through theft or deception,” and has no place in Tesla’s ecosystem:

Tesla calls this a big win and warns other companies: “Buyer beware—don’t buy from thieves.”

Matthews hit back with a press release claiming victory. They say an arbitrator ruled they can keep selling their own DBE equipment to anyone and rejected Tesla’s request for a total sales ban. They call Tesla’s claims “nonsense” and insist their 20-year-old tech is independent. Both sides are spinning the same narrow ruling: Matthews can sell their version, but they’re blocked from using Tesla’s specific secrets.

What are Tesla’s Current Legal Options

The case isn’t over—it’s moving to the damages phase. Tesla can:

  • Push forward in court or arbitration to calculate and collect huge financial penalties (potentially $1 billion+ if willful theft is proven).
  • Enforce the permanent injunction with contempt charges, fines, or even jail time if Matthews violates it.
  • Challenge Matthews’ new patents that allegedly copy Tesla’s work, asking courts to invalidate them or add Tesla as co-inventor.
  • Seek extra damages, lawyer fees, and possibly punitive awards under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act and California law.

Tesla could also refer evidence to federal prosecutors for possible criminal trade-secret charges (rare but serious). Settlement is always possible, but Tesla’s fiery public response suggests they want full accountability.

This isn’t just corporate drama. It shows why trade secrets matter even when Tesla open-sources some patents, confidential know-how shared in trust must stay protected. For the EV industry, it’s a reminder: steal from your biggest customer, and you risk losing everything.

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Tesla Cybercab includes this small but significant feature

The Cybercab is Tesla’s big plan to introduce fully autonomous ride-sharing in a seamless fashion. In fact, the Full Self-Driving suite was geared toward alleviating the need to manually drive vehicles.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Cybercab manufacturing is strikingly close, as the company is still aiming for an April start date. But small and significant features are still being identified for the first time as production units appear all over the country for testing and for regulatory events, like one yesterday in Washington, D.C.

The Cybercab is Tesla’s big plan to introduce fully autonomous ride-sharing in a seamless fashion. In fact, the Full Self-Driving suite was geared toward alleviating the need to manually drive vehicles.

This was for everyone, including the disabled, who are widely reliant on ride-sharing platforms, family members, and medical shuttles for transportation of any kind. Cybercab aims to change that, and Tesla evidently put a focus on those riders while developing the vehicle, evident in a small but significant feature revealed during its appearance in the Nation’s Capital.

Tesla Cybercab display highlights interior wizardry in the small two-seater

Tesla has implemented Braille within the Cybercab to make it easier for blind passengers to utilize the vehicle. On both the ‘Stop/Hazard Lights’ button and the Door Releases, Tesla has placed Braille so that blind passengers can navigate their way through the vehicle:

This is a great addition to the Cybercab, especially as Full Self-Driving has been partially pointed at as a solution for those with disabilities that would keep them from driving themselves from place to place.

It truly is a great addition and just another way that Tesla is showing they are making this massive product inclusive for everyone out there, including those who have not been able to drive due to not having vision.

The Cybercab is set to enter mass production sometime in April, and it will be responsible for launching Tesla’s massive plans for an autonomous ride-sharing program.

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