News
Russia quietly shelves development of sole SpaceX Falcon 9-competitive rocket
Russian space agency Roscosmos has indefinitely suspended development of the Proton Medium rocket, once expected to help the country compete with the meteoric rise of SpaceX and the growing field of interested entrants in the commercial launch industry.
As Russia makes a greater push toward Angara rockets, it is sidelining development of Proton Medium, a vehicle ILS hoped would compete head on with SpaceX's Falcon 9. https://t.co/BD6AOusalK
— Caleb Henry (@ChenrySpace) August 30, 2018
The (probable) death of a rocket
In an extraordinary feat of double-speak, freshly appointed Roscosmos director general Dmitry Rogozin – likely a primary source of Proton Medium’s paused development – explained that Russia’s national rocket program would likely experience the “financial collapse of [its] enterprise” if it chose to build “both old and new heavy-duty rockets” simultaneously. Rogozin clearly implied that Angara – a Russian rocket that has flown once (successfully) in 2014 and has a commercial demand about as close to near-zero as possible – was the “new” rocket that Roscosmos ought to solely pursue.
Indeed, upon analyzing the public specifications of Angara A5 and Proton Medium, the two rockets have near-identical theoretical performance characteristics, with higher geostationary transfer orbit payload capabilities (5-6 tons) roughly comparable to Falcon 9 in the SpaceX rocket’s drone ship recovery configuration. As a result, it certainly would make very little sense for Russia to fund and build two rockets with nearly indistinguishable utility – Rogozin certainly is correct in that regard.
However, the space agency director is dumbfoundingly off-base in his suggestion that Angara – not Proton Medium or other proposed alternatives – is the way forward to a financially sustainable Roscosmos. As he himself notes, “eternal state support [of launch vehicles] is impossible and inefficient,” seemingly indicating that he believes any viable state-funded rocket must eventually become a serious commercial competitor, a necessity for a launch vehicle if it’s to sustain itself beyond subsidies (i.e. guaranteed government launch contracts).
https://twitter.com/runnymonkey/status/1030356053882544129
The “old” versus the “new”
The Proton family of rockets – past and present – may not have the most reliable track record or a consistent launch cadence, but nearly any rocket on Earth can lay claim to a more storied launch career when placed next to Angara. Despite the fact that the Russian government itself has funded the development and production of Angara rockets, just a single orbital mission has been launched, and only with a mass simulator (dead weight) as its payload. Since that one-off 2014 launch debut, not even the Russian government itself has chosen to fly state satellites on Angara, instead siding with other successful vehicles in the country’s fleet, including Proton Breeze M and Soyuz-2.
This is almost without a doubt because Angara A5 is the most expensive rocket Russia currently operates, reportedly 30-40% more expensive than Proton M, estimated in 2017 by the US Government Accountability Office to cost roughly $65 million per launch. At roughly a third more than that, an Angara A5 launch presumably costs ~$90 million in a best-case scenario, given that the manufacturing apparatus required to construct the rocket has been maintained on a manifest of exactly zero launches since 2014. In fact, the vehicle was estimated by Russia itself to cost roughly $95 to $105 million per launch back in 2015.
https://twitter.com/runnymonkey/status/1032371653668261888
In an interview with SpaceNews in late 2017, the president of the commercial wing of Russia’s space launch program (known as ILS) frankly stated that “[ILS] needs to target something between $65 [million] and $55 million as the price point [for Proton Medium], and the Angara 5 vehicle will not be able to do that.” In the same interview, the ILS president even went so far as to imply that “Proton Medium was being designed as a purely commercial competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.”
While there is a very slim chance that Proton Medium’s development will be revived after Roscosmos’ internal review, it’s far safer to presume that the vehicle is dead, thus killing Russia’s only tenuous hope of fielding a rocket capable of competing with the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin. While Roscosmos’ goal is to make Angara (an entirely expendable rocket, might I add) more affordable, it anticipates that the rocket would become cost-competitive with Proton no earlier than 2025.
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Tesla is officially launching in Saudi Arabia. The electric vehicle manufacturer is arriving in Saudi Arabia with a launch event at the Bujairi Terrace on April 10, 2025.
“Explore our global bestselling lineup and step into a world powered by solar energy, sustained by batteries, and driven by electric vehicles.
“Experience the future of autonomous driving with Cybercab, and meet Optimus, our humanoid robot, as we showcase what’s next in AI and robotics. Our team will be on hand to answer any questions you have about Tesla ownership, home charging and more,” stated Tesla.
The event will start at 20:00 and end at 23:00. Slots for the event are limited. Anyone who wants to attend can sign up here.
Initial reactions to Tesla’s arrival in Saudi Arabia seem to be positive. In the company’s announcement on X, a few responders commented that they’ve been asking Tesla to come to Saudi Arabia for years. Early reactions hint that Tesla’s brand name is not tarnished in all countries.
Excitement for Tesla in Saudi Arabia contrasts reactions to the brand in the United States, some parts of Canada, and select European cities. Tesla vehicles, stores, and Superchargers have been a target for arson as Elon Musk’s public image continues to gather hate. The Tesla attacks have led to the FBI forming a task force to address the incidents.
News
Tesla attacks get FBI task force to squash the acts of ‘domestic terrorism’
The FBI has launched a task force with the ATF to stop violent Tesla attacks & investigate a March 29 anti-Tesla protest.
An FBI task force has been assigned to crackdown on Tesla attacks, which have been targeting the company’s stores, Supercharger stalls, and vehicles.
“Can confirm: The FBI has launched a Task Force in conjunction with ATF to coordinate investigative activity and crack down on violent Tesla attacks. More to come,” noted the FBI’s Assistant Director to Public Affairs, Ben Williamson, on X.
The FBI task force assigned to end attacks on Tesla is working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Most Tesla attacks involve setting a store, Supercharger, or vehicle on fire, usually by throwing a Molotov cocktail. The task force will also be working with the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
“The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, and over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response. This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel on X.
The FBI is looking into two active anti-Tesla sites and the “Tesla Takedown” protest scheduled for March 29. One of the sites is Dogeque.st, which has been doxxing Tesla employees and locations across the United States. The website is also doxxing Tesla owners, resulting in safety concerns for civilians.
The anti-Tesla attacks have resulted in at least four arrests thus far. Three people were arrested for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Tesla stores, Superchargers, and vehicles. One person was arrested for driving into a crowd of protesters in front of a Tesla store. Fortunately, none of the attacks–on either side–have resulted in injuries or fatalities.
News
Multiple explosives found at Tesla showroom in Austin, Texas
The disturbing incident follows a series of vandalism and arson cases linked to Tesla facilities and vehicles.
Multiple incendiary devices were discovered inside a Tesla showroom in Austin, Texas on Monday morning, police have stated. The disturbing incident follows a series of vandalism and arson cases linked to Tesla facilities and vehicles, which have since prompted federal and local investigations.
Devices Found After Anonymous Tip
Austin Police Department officers responded to the Tesla showroom following an anonymous call about alleged bombs inside the building. Upon arrival at the location, authorities found several “suspicious devices,” which were later identified as incendiary by the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad.
The bomb squad was able to remove the incendiary devices without incident. Citing the police department, the Daily Mail has noted that the devices were designed to cause “large-scale explosive violence.” No arrests have been made in relation to the incident as of writing, though an investigation is ongoing.
The Austin PD’s Statement
A release from the Austin Police Department’s Public Information Office described the details of the incident:
“On Monday, March 24, 2025, at approximately 8:04 a.m., Austin Police Department (APD) officers responded to a Found/Abandoned Hazardous call at the Tesla dealership located at 12845 N. US 183 Hwy SVRD NB. When officers arrived on scene, they located suspicious devices, and called the APD Bomb Squad to investigate. The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident. This is an open and ongoing investigation, and there is no further information available for release at this time,” the Austin PD wrote.
Attacks Linked to Musk’s Government Role
The apparent Tesla Austin attempted bombing comes amid escalating violence against Tesla properties, which seemed to be attributed in no small part to Elon Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump administration initiative slashing federal spending. Musk, during a conversation with Sean Hannity of FOX News, claimed that the aggressive attacks stem from his efforts to curb waste.
“It turns out when you take away people’s, you know, the money that they’re receiving fraudulently, they get very upset. And they basically want kill me because I’m stopping their fraud and they want to hurt Tesla because we’re stopping the terrible waste and corruption in the government. And, well, I guess they’re bad people. Bad people do bad things,” Musk noted.
Tesla launching in Saudi Arabia
Tesla attacks get FBI task force to squash the acts of ‘domestic terrorism’
Multiple explosives found at Tesla showroom in Austin, Texas
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