

News
SpaceX Starlink launch to smash California pad turnaround record
Update: SpaceX’s Thursday Starlink 3-2 launch was automatically aborted less than a minute before liftoff by Falcon 9’s onboard computers. The company will try again tomorrow, Friday, July 22nd, at 10:39 pm PDT (17:39 UTC).
SpaceX says it’s on track to launch another batch of polar Starlink satellites from the West Coast as early as 10:39 am PDT (17:39 UTC), Thursday, July 21st.
On top of featuring one of the fastest Falcon 9 booster turnarounds ever, SpaceX’s Starlink 3-2 launch will more than halve the fastest turnaround of its Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) SLC-4E pad, potentially rendering it capable of launching dozens of times per year.
Barring delays, Starlink 3-2 is scheduled to launch from SLC-4E just 10 days and 14 hours after the same pad supported Starlink 3-1. The current record – 22 days and 11 hours – was set between the launches of Germany’s SARah-1 radar satellite and Starlink 3-1, meaning that SLC-4E is on track to break its turnaround record twice in a row.
For most of the time since SpaceX began using SLC-4E for Falcon 9 launches in 2013, the pad has rarely supported more than one launch every few months. Between 2013 and 2020, the pad supported a total of 16 successful Falcon 9 launches. 15 occurred between January 2016 and November 2020, averaging one launch every four months and never flying twice in less than 36 days. Between January 2019 and September 2021, the pad only supported three launches and even went 17 months without a single use.

In late 2021, something changed. On top of the introduction of dedicated West Coast Starlink launches, apparent upgrades to the pad’s turnaround capabilities have allowed it to support more launches than usual. In the ten months since SLC-4E exited its hibernation period, it’s supported nine Falcon 9 launches – five for Starlink and four for customers. Prior to 2021, SLC-4E never supported more than six launches in a ten-month period, meaning that the pad is already operating at a 50% higher capacity.
SpaceX, however, apparently wasn’t satisfied and is on track to substantially expand SLC-4’s operational constraints yet again, more than halving its minimum demonstrated turnaround time. By definition, that also doubles the pad’s operational ceiling, meaning that it could theoretically support about 34 launches per year with no downtime. SpaceX appears to have achieved that expansion by applying the same upgrades it already made to its two East Coast launch pads, LC-39A and LC-40, which both set respective turnaround records of approximately nine days and eight days earlier this year. SLC-4E will comfortably bookend the two with its imminent 10.7-day turnaround.
Of course, no launch pad routinely operates at its demonstrated minimum, but a leap forward like SLC-4E’s (22.5 to 10.7 days) all but guarantees that the pad will be able to launch far more frequently as long as rockets and payloads are available. Over the last seven months, LC-39A has averaged one launch every 19 days – more than twice its 9.1-day turnaround record. LC-40, which generally deals with simpler missions and only one of three Falcon rocket variants, has managed one launch every 13 days over the same period – closer to its 8.2-day record but still a ways off.
Even if SLC-4E’s average cadence settles somewhere between SpaceX’s other two pads going forward, it will still likely double its contribution the company’s annual launch cadence and help expedite the deployment of its Starlink internet constellation. If all three pads manage an average of about one launch every two weeks, a target that’s well within reach, SpaceX will have the capacity to launch 72 Falcon rockets per year – more than any other family of rockets in history.
Pad aside, Starlink 3-2 will be Falcon 9 booster B1071’s fourth launch overall and second launch in 33 days – SoaceX’s fifth fastest Falcon booster reuse since the practice began in March 2017. Tune in below around 10:30 am PDT (17:30 UTC) to watch Falcon 9’s 32nd launch of 2022.
News
Tesla Gigafactory Texas builds its half millionth vehicle
The milestone was shared via Twitter/X by the official @Gigafactories account.

Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas has officially rolled out its 500,000th vehicle, marking a significant achievement in the factory’s history and reinforcing its role as a central hub in Tesla’s vehicle manufacturing network.
The milestone was shared via Twitter/X by the official @Gigafactories account. “Congratulations to the Giga Texas team for building 500k vehicles,” the company’s X post read.
As could be seen in Tesla Manufacturing’s post, the Gigafactory Texas team celebrated the milestone by posting for a photograph with the facility’s half millionth unit, a white Tesla Model Y. The team held balloons that spelled “500K” on its commemorative photo.
Giga Texas, located near Austin, has ramped its operations since its launch, producing Tesla’s Cybertruck and Model Y. Crossing the half-million vehicle mark solidifies the facility’s importance to Tesla’s overall operations, especially considering the fact that the Model Y is the company’s best-selling vehicle.
While Giga Texas is just producing the Model Y and the Cybertruck for now, the facility is also poised to produce the Cybercab. The Cybercab is expected to be Tesla’s highest volume vehicle, with Elon Musk estimating that the company would be producing about 2 million units of the autonomous two-seater per year.
The Cybercab is unlike any vehicle that is currently produced today, and its production would be quite extraordinary. As per Elon Musk’s previous comments, the Cybercab’s manufacturing line would not look like an automotive production line at all. Instead, Musk noted that the Cybercab’s line in Gigafactory Texas would resemble a high-speed consumer electronics line instead.
“We do want to scale up production to new heights obviously with the Cybercab. Cybercab is not just revolutionary car design. It’s also a revolutionary manufacturing process. So I guess we probably don’t talk about that enough, but if you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line. It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line,” Musk previously stated.
News
Tesla reportedly places large order for robot parts, hinting that Optimus V3 design is all but finalized
Tesla has reportedly placed a large order of linear actuators for humanoid robots from a Chinese supplier.

Tesla might have all but finalized the design for its Optimus V3 humanoid robot, at least if rumors from China prove accurate. As per recent reports, Tesla has reportedly placed a large order of linear actuators for humanoid robots from a Chinese supplier, with deliveries expected sometime in the first quarter of 2026.
The volume of orders suggested by the reports from China suggests that the components will not just be used for Optimus prototypes.
The rumor
As noted in a report from Sina News, media outlets across China have recently reported that Tesla has placed a $685 million (5 billion RMB) order for linear actuators from Sanhua Intelligent Controls. The components will reportedly be used for the production of Optimus, which will likely be mass-produced in its V3 iteration. The reports claimed that the delivery of the actuators will likely start sometime in the first quarter of 2026.
Industry watchers have estimated that such a volume would be enough for about 180,000 Optimus robots. This suggests that while Tesla might not be able to start the initial production of its humanoid robots this year, the electric vehicle maker might be able to hit the ground running with its Optimus production next year. And as hinted at by Elon Musk’s comments on X, Tesla seems to be preparing to produce Optimus V3 en masse.
Company comments
The reports of Tesla’s alleged actuator orders have resulted in Sanhua Intelligent Controls’ stock rising. Interestingly enough, a Tesla China representative has stated that “no official information about this order that could be disseminated externally.” A representative from Sanhua, on the other hand, simply stated that the company’s robotics business is progressing smoothly, but they could not comment on market rumors.
While these reports are rumors for now, there are some optimistic hints that Tesla might have all but finalized the design for Optimus V3, and the company might be looking to start the robot’s production. For one, Sanhua is already a Tesla supplier, providing components for the company’s electric cars. A report from The Information also alleged that Tesla is no longer looking to produce 5,000 Optimus robots in 2025. This was reportedly due to challenges in the robot’s hands.
If Tesla is really starting to order large volumes of components for Optimus’ production, it would suggest that the company might have overcome the challenges it was facing with the humanoid robot earlier this year. It would then not be farfetched if Tesla were able to start the initial production of Optimus V3 next year.
News
Tesla eyes two new states for Robotaxi

Tesla has officially shown that it is eyeing two new states for Robotaxi operation in the U.S., as it hopes to add the new areas to its ever-growing list of places where the suite is either active or in the testing phase.
Tesla first launched its Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, in late June. It expanded the suite to the San Francisco Bay Area just a month later. Since then, it has not launched any public rides in any other states, but it has gained several approvals for early testing.
In preparation for operation in new states, Tesla routinely lists job postings on its Careers website, which helps align potential employees with opportunities ahead of regulatory approvals. This is a strategy that allows Tesla to start operations immediately upon licensing for testing.
Tesla started hiring Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in Arizona and Nevada months before the company gained any sort of approvals from state governments for Robotaxi. However, those approvals eventually came in the form of testing licenses, which allow the company to perform validation ahead of its public launch.
Tesla begins validating Robotaxi in a new area, hinting at expansion
Now, Tesla has posted job listings for Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in two new states: Colorado and Illinois. The Colorado job listing is located in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Tesla is looking for Robotaxi operators in Chicago as well.
These postings hint toward Tesla’s continuing efforts to expand Robotaxi to new places. Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said the company would like to have Robotaxi available to at least half of the U.S. population.
It has expanded significantly since its initial launch in late June, but it is still a far way off from where Tesla would like it to be by year’s end.
So far, Tesla has job listings for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and Illinois.
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