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SpaceX fires up Starship’s Raptor engine hours before huge regulatory milestone

SpaceX has fired up a full-scale Starship prototype for the fourth time in a little more than three weeks. (NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal)

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SpaceX has fired up the same full-scale Starship rocket for the fourth time, igniting its Raptor engine less than an hour before the FAA officially published a launch license of the ship’s hop test debut.

The ignition marked the fourth time a Raptor engine has been fired up on Starship SN4 since May 5th, thankfully avoiding issues that caused fires and damage during the third and most recent engine test while also verifying that the ship and its Raptor are ready for their flight debut. In an apparent coincidence, the FAA published what serves as a license of Starship’s hop debut less than an hour after SN4 completed its latest test.

While not immediately obvious, this means that SpaceX has effectively surmounted a huge regulatory hurdle previously standing in the way of a full-scale Starship flight test campaign. Now, the path to Starship’s flight debut is just shy of wide-open.

Starship SN4, May 25th. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

Incredibly, the bureaucratic milestone SpaceX has thus passed may actually be bigger news than the Starship wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and Raptor engine ignition test the company completed earlier today, defying an unspoken law of spaceflight. This is because the license Starship received is completely different from the separate licenses SpaceX used for Starhopper’s first and second flight tests.

Starhopper was certified by the FAA as an experimental vehicle with experimental permits that are far more restrictive than those bestowed upon truly operational launch vehicles like Falcon 9 and Atlas V. For example, Starhopper’s experimental permits – like most others that the FAA has doled out – allowed for a single flight with a very strict ceiling. Launch licenses, of course, deal with operational rockets that must head to orbit or high altitudes on a recurring, semi-routine basis.

SpaceX has taken a major regulatory leap forward with a full FAA launch license for suborbital Starship launches. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

For the past few months, the general assumption has been that SpaceX would work with the FAA to retool its existing 150m (~500 ft) Starhopper launch permit to enable Starship SN4’s identical hop debut. In a total surprise, the FAA has instead issued a full launch license for Starship, meaning that SpaceX effectively has blanket permission for an indefinite number of minimally-restricted Starship flight tests until May 2022.

The only obvious qualifier is a note that the FAA has licensed SpaceX “to conduct suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV) missions”, meaning that a new license will obviously be needed for Super Heavy and orbital flight tests. Additionally, the license requires SpaceX to follow an unattached “ground track and trajectory” included as part of its FAA application, potentially restricting the kinds of launches the company can perform with it.

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SpaceX Starship Prototype S… by Eric Ralph on Scribd

Thanks to Starship SN4’s apparently successful fourth static fire test and the acquisition of an unrestricted FAA suborbital launch license, SpaceX has effectively cleared all significant hurdles in the way of the first flight of a full-scale Starship. SN4 continues to perform admirably and even had ~25 metric tons (~55,000 lb) of stainless steel ballast installed just yesterday to counteract the impressive thrust of Raptor on its imminent hop debut.

Of course, CEO Elon Musk has heavily implied that Starship’s first flight will have to wait until after Crew Dragon’s inaugural NASA astronaut launch, currently scheduled no earlier than May 30th. Regardless, SpaceX appears to be ready for Starship to take flight, and with an FAA license secured, that milestone could come any day now.

Check out Teslarati’s Marketplace! We offer Tesla accessories, including for the Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Model 3.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving pricing strategy eliminates one recurring complaint

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving pricing strategy will eliminate one recurring complaint that many owners have had in the past: FSD transfers.

In the past, if a Tesla owner purchased the Full Self-Driving suite outright, the company did not allow them to transfer the purchase to a new vehicle, essentially requiring them to buy it all over again, which could obviously get pretty pricey.

This was until Q3 2023, when Tesla allowed a one-time amnesty to transfer Full Self-Driving to a new vehicle, and then again last year.

Tesla is now allowing it to happen again ahead of the February 14th deadline.

The program has given people the opportunity to upgrade to new vehicles with newer Hardware and AI versions, especially those with Hardware 3 who wish to transfer to AI4, without feeling the drastic cost impact of having to buy the $8,000 suite outright on several occasions.

Now, that issue will never be presented again.

Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on X that the Full Self-Driving suite would only be available in a subscription platform, which is the other purchase option it currently offers for FSD use, priced at just $99 per month.

Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk

Having it available in a subscription-only platform boasts several advantages, including the potential for a tiered system that would potentially offer less expensive options, a pay-per-mile platform, and even coupling the program with other benefits, like Supercharging and vehicle protection programs.

While none of that is confirmed and is purely speculative, the one thing that does appear to be a major advantage is that this will completely eliminate any questions about transferring the Full Self-Driving suite to a new vehicle. This has been a particular point of contention for owners, and it is now completely eliminated, as everyone, apart from those who have purchased the suite on their current vehicle.

Now, everyone will pay month-to-month, and it could make things much easier for those who want to try the suite, justifying it from a financial perspective.

The important thing to note is that Tesla would benefit from a higher take rate, as more drivers using it would result in more data, which would help the company reach its recently-revealed 10 billion-mile threshold to reach an Unsupervised level. It does not cost Tesla anything to run FSD, only to develop it. If it could slice the price significantly, more people would buy it, and more data would be made available.

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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025

The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y continued to overwhelmingly dominate the United States’ electric vehicle market in 2025. New sales data showed that Tesla’s two mass market cars maintained a commanding segment share, with the Model 3 posting year-to-date growth and the Model Y remaining resilient despite factory shutdowns tied to its refresh.

The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.

Model 3 and Model Y are still dominant

According to the report, Tesla delivered an estimated 192,440 Model 3 sedans in the United States in 2025, representing a 1.3% year-to-date increase compared to 2024. The Model 3 alone accounted for 15.9% of all U.S. EV sales, making it one of the highest-volume electric vehicles in the country.

The Model Y was even more dominant. U.S. deliveries of the all-electric crossover reached 357,528 units in 2025, a 4.0% year-to-date decline from the prior year. It should be noted, however, that the drop came during a year that included production shutdowns at Tesla’s Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas as the company transitioned to the new Model Y. Even with those disruptions, the Model Y captured an overwhelming 39.5% share of the market, far surpassing any single competitor.

Combined, the Model 3 and Model Y represented more than half of all EVs sold in the United States during 2025, highlighting Tesla’s iron grip on the country’s mass-market EV segment.

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Tesla’s challenges in 2025

Tesla’s sustained performance came amid a year of elevated public and political controversy surrounding Elon Musk, whose political activities in the first half of the year ended up fueling a narrative that the CEO’s actions are damaging the automaker’s consumer appeal. However, U.S. sales data suggest that demand for Tesla’s core vehicles has remained remarkably resilient.

Based on Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report, Tesla’s most expensive offerings such as the Tesla Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X, all saw steep declines in 2025. This suggests that mainstream EV buyers might have had a price issue with Tesla’s more expensive offerings, not an Elon Musk issue. 

Ultimately, despite broader EV market softness, with total U.S. EV sales slipping about 2% year-to-date, Tesla still accounted for 58.9% of all EV deliveries in 2025, according to the report. This means that out of every ten EVs sold in the United States in 2025, more than half of them were Teslas. 

Q4 2025 Kelley Blue Book EV Sales Report by Simon Alvarez

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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y earn Euro NCAP Best in Class safety awards

“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East

Tesla won dual categories in the Euro NCAP Best in Class awards, with the Model 3 being named the safest Large Family Car and the Model Y being recognized as the safest Small SUV.

The feat was highlighted by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official account on social media platform X.

Model 3 and Model Y lead their respective segments

As per a press release from the Euro NCAP, the organization’s Best in Class designation is based on a weighted assessment of four key areas: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles that achieved a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and were evaluated with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award.

Euro NCAP noted that the updated Tesla Model 3 performed particularly well in Child Occupant protection, while its Safety Assist score reflected Tesla’s ongoing improvements to driver-assistance systems. The Model Y similarly stood out in Child Occupant protection and Safety Assist, reinforcing Tesla’s dual-category win. 

“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.

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Euro NCAP leadership shares insights

Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen said the organization’s Best in Class awards are designed to help consumers identify the safest vehicles over the past year.

Van Ratingen noted that 2025 was Euro NCAP’s busiest year to date, with more vehicles tested than ever before, amid a growing variety of electric cars and increasingly sophisticated safety systems. While the Mercedes-Benz CLA ultimately earned the title of Best Performer of 2025, he emphasized that Tesla finished only fractionally behind in the overall rankings.

“It was a close-run competition,” van Ratingen said. “Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car.”

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