SpaceX has completed its 60th operational Starlink satellite launch after a rare string of scrubs.
Flying for the 6th time just 66 days after its 5th launch, Falcon 9 booster B1067 lifted off with 54 Starlink satellites on SpaceX’s Starlink 4-34 mission at 8:18 pm EDT, Sunday, September 18th. Five days prior, after unknown issues triggered a delay from a planned September 11th launch attempt, SpaceX attempted to launch the mission for the first time on September 13th.
About an hour before liftoff, lightning conditions forced the company to call off the attempt. On September 14th, also about an hour before liftoff, weather forced SpaceX to call off the second attempt. On September 15th, the third attempt was aborted (by weather) just 29 seconds before liftoff, followed by a fourth weather-related scrub about a minute before liftoff on September 16th. Only after a fifth attempt on September 17th was preempted by a delay to September 18th did SpaceX finally find a gap between Florida’s summer weather.
With dozens of Starlink launches beginning to blur together and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 continuing a relentless and potentially record-breaking streak of successes at a pace that could soon make it the fastest launching rocket in history, it’s hard to be surprised that Starlink 4-34 was completed without issue. Falcon 9 B1067 ascended under power for about three minutes, sent the rest of the rocket on the way to orbit, coasted into space, and returned to Earth with SpaceX’s 68th consecutively successful booster landing.
Falcon 9’s underappreciated upper stage continued into an orbit around 300 kilometers (~190 mi) up, spun itself up end over end, and deployed a 16.7-ton (~36,900 lb) stack of 54 Starlink V1.5 satellites all at once. Following the quick deployment, the rocket’s pair of reusable fairing halves were likely still 10 or 20 minutes away from touching down on the Atlantic Ocean under their GPS-guided parafoils, where they will eventually be scooped out of the water for future flights.
Starlink 4-34 was SpaceX’s 42nd launch of 2022, maintaining an average of one launch every 6.2 days since the year began. It leaves more than 3000 working Starlink satellites in Earth orbit, likely meaning that a majority of all working satellites are owned and operated by SpaceX less than three full years after the company began operational launches.
Up next, Next Spaceflight and Spaceflight Now report that SpaceX has two more Starlink launches (4-35 and 4-36) tentatively scheduled before the end of September. As of September 15th, both reported that those missions were working towards launches on September 19th and September 26th – nothing unusual for SpaceX in 2022.
What was unusual, however, was both unofficial manifests’ agreement that SpaceX intended to use the same pad – Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s LC-40 – to launch Starlink 4-34, 4-35, and 4-36. Even assuming that those schedules were predicated upon Starlink 4-34 launching on September 13th, before all of its weather delays, SpaceX would have had to break LC-40’s 7.7-day turnaround record by around ~25% and complete a second launch just seven days after that.
Starlink 4-34’s delays have thrown that plan into question, but the fact that SpaceX thought it was possible in the first place suggests that the company has plans to squeeze even more performance out of LC-40 – already its most important pad from the perspective of launch cadence. Launch photographer Ben Cooper now reports that Starlink 4-36 could launch in late September or October. If it slips into October, SpaceX has a rapid-fire pair of customer satellite launches scheduled on October 5th and 13th that will probably take precedent over any internal Starlink mission.
With only 16 days left before LC-40’s next commercial launch and NASA’s Crew-5 launch taking over SpaceX’s other East Coast pad until October 3rd, SpaceX would have to launch Starlink 4-35 and 4-36 just four or five days apart (and one just 4-5 days after Starlink 4-34) to avoid delaying one of the Starlink missions well into October, avoid unnecessarily delaying commercial launches for paying customers, and ensure that those customers don’t have abruptly agree to be commercial guinea pigs for extra quick LC-40 turnarounds.
Starlink 4-35 is now tentatively scheduled for September 23rd, making a Starlink 4-36 delay more likely but not fully ruling out a launch attempt before the end of the month.
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Tesla China rolls out Model 3 insurance subsidy through February
Eligible customers purchasing a Model 3 by February 28 can receive an insurance subsidy worth RMB 8,000 (about $1,150).
Tesla has rolled out a new insurance subsidy for Model 3 buyers in China, adding another incentive as the automaker steps up promotions in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Eligible customers purchasing a Model 3 by February 28 can receive an insurance subsidy worth RMB 8,000 (about $1,150).
A limited-time subsidy
The insurance subsidy, which was announced by Tesla China on Weibo, applies to the Model 3 RWD, Long Range RWD, and Long Range AWD variants. Tesla stated that the offer is available to buyers who complete their purchase on or before February 28, as noted in a CNEV Post report. The starting prices for these variants are RMB 235,500, RMB 259,500, and RMB 285,500, respectively.
The Tesla Model 3 Performance, which starts at RMB 339,500, is excluded from the subsidy. The company has previously used insurance incentives at the beginning of the year to address softer seasonal demand in China’s auto market. The program is typically phased out as sales conditions stabilize over the year.
China’s electric vehicle market
The insurance subsidy followed Tesla’s launch of a 7-year low-interest financing plan in China on January 6, which is aimed at improving vehicle affordability amid changing policy conditions. After Tesla introduced the financing program, several automakers, such as Xiaomi, Li Auto, Xpeng, and Voyah, introduced similar long-term financing options.
China’s electric vehicle market has faced additional headwinds entering 2026. Buyers of new energy vehicles are now subject to a 5% purchase tax, compared with the previous full exemption. At the same time, vehicle trade-in subsidies in several cities are expected to expire in mid-November.
Tesla’s overall sales in China declined in 2025, with deliveries totaling 625,698 vehicles, down 4.78% year-over-year. Model 3 deliveries increased 13.33% to 200,361 units, while Model Y deliveries, which were hampered by the changeover to the new Model Y in the first quarter, fell 11.45% to 425,337 units.
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Tesla hiring Body Fit Technicians for Cybercab’s end of line
As per Tesla’s Careers website, Body Fit Technicians for the Cybercab focus on precision body fitment work, including alignment, gap and flush adjustments.
Tesla has posted job openings for Body Fit Technicians for the Cybercab’s end-of-line assembly, an apparent indication that preparations for the vehicle’s initial production are accelerating at Giga Texas.
Body Fit Technicians for Cybercab line
As per Tesla’s Careers website, Body Fit Technicians for the Cybercab focus on precision body fitment work, including alignment, gap and flush adjustments, and certification of body assemblies to specification standards.
Employees selected for the role will collaborate with engineering and quality teams to diagnose and correct fitment and performance issues and handle detailed inspections, among other tasks.
The listing noted that candidates should be experienced with automotive body fit techniques and comfortable with physically demanding tasks such as lifting, bending, walking, and using both hand and power tools. The position is based in Austin, Texas, where Tesla’s main Cybercab production infrastructure is being built.
Cybercab poised for April production
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently reiterated that the Cybercab is still expected to start initial production this coming April. So far, numerous Cybercab test units have been spotted across the United States, and recent posts from the official Tesla Robotaxi account have revealed that winter tests in Alaska for the autonomous two-seater are underway.
While April has been confirmed as the date for the Cybercab’s initial production, Elon Musk has also set expectations about the vehicle’s volumes in its initial months. As per the CEO, the Cybercab’s production will follow a typical S-curve, which means that early production rates for the vehicle will be very limited.
“Initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
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Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm.
Swedish labor unions are considering whether to file a police report related to a newly opened Tesla Megapack Supercharger near Stockholm, citing questions about how electricity is supplied to the site. The matter has also been referred to Sweden’s energy regulator.
Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm. Unlike traditional charging stations, the site is powered by an on-site Megapack battery rather than a direct grid connection. Typical grid connections for Tesla charging sites in Sweden have seen challenges for nearly two years due to union blockades.
Swedish labor union IF Metall has submitted a report to the Energy Market Inspectorate, asking the authority to assess whether electricity supplied to the battery system meets regulatory requirements, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA). The Tesla Megapack on the site is charged using electricity supplied by a local company, though the specific provider has not been publicly identified.
Peter Lydell, an ombudsman at IF Metall, issued a comment about the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. “The legislation states that only companies that engage in electricity trading may supply electricity to other parties. You may not supply electricity without a permit, then you are engaging in illegal electricity trading. That is why we have reported this… This is about a company that helps Tesla circumvent the conflict measures that exist. It is clear that it is troublesome and it can also have consequences,” Lydell said.
Police report under consideration
The Swedish Electricians’ Association has also examined the Tesla Megapack Supercharger and documented its power setup. As per materials submitted to the Energy Market Inspectorate, electrical cables were reportedly routed from a property located approximately 500 meters from the charging site.
Tomas Jansson, ombudsman and deputy head of negotiations at the Swedish Electricians’ Association, stated that the union was assessing whether to file a police report related to the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. He also confirmed that the electricians’ union was coordinating with IF Metall about the matter. “We have a close collaboration with IF Metall, and we are currently investigating this. We support IF Metall in their fight for fair conditions at Tesla,” Jansson said.
Tesla China rolls out Model 3 insurance subsidy through February
Tesla hiring Body Fit Technicians for Cybercab’s end of line
