News
SpaceX schedules spy satellite, NASA astronaut launches on the same day
The US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has confirmed that its next spy satellite is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the same day the company is planning to launch four NASA and ESA astronauts.
Following SpaceX’s flawless NROL-87 spy satellite launch last month, the NRO has announced that the company is on track to launch NROL-85 – another one or several unknown but potentially related spy satellites – as early as April 15th. Less than two hours prior, NASA simultaneously confirmed that SpaceX is on track to launch Crew-4 – the agency’s fourth operational astronaut transport mission – on April 15th.
Technically, SpaceX has already successfully conducted multiple pairs of launches less than 24 hours apart. The company’s all-time record is 15 hours between a Starlink mission and a Turkish communications satellite launch. More recently, SpaceX launched NROL-87 and a different Starlink mission just 22 hours apart. Lacking a specific launch time for NROL-85, Crew-4 could launch as many as 15 hours later and still occur on the same day. As such, there is plenty of precedent for same-day launches.
However, according to one Twitter user, also a fairly reliable source for SpaceX’s launch scheduling and activities, NROL-85 is actually scheduled to launch as early as ~7am PST (10 am EST) on Friday, April 15th – perhaps as few as two hours after Crew-4’s ~8am EST launch.
Launching an NRO spy satellite or commercial communications satellites shortly before or after an internal Starlink mission is one thing. Launching an NRO spy satellite and a crew of NASA and ESA astronauts hours apart for two of SpaceX’s most risk-averse customers – both of which had to sign off on the concurrence – is, however, an entirely different story. Obviously, still a month away from either launch, the odds are good that one or both missions will run into minor delays, spreading them more than two hours apart. Already, in 2022, SpaceX briefly had NROL-87 and Starlink 4-7 scheduled to launch just two hours apart before the Starlink mission was delayed for unknown reasons, resulting in a 22-hour gap instead.
Nonetheless, NASA, the NRO, and SpaceX have still intentionally scheduled Crew-4 and NROL-85 mere hours apart, which means that they have accepted the possibility that both launches might happen exactly as planned. In other words, two of SpaceX’s most exacting, cautious launch customers have full confidence in the company’s ability to launch two high-value Falcon 9 missions a few hours apart – high praise for a launch capability only a few national space agencies have been able to demonstrate.
Beyond Crew-4 and NROL-85, SpaceX is scheduled to launch Starlink 4-12 NET March 18th, Axiom-1 – the first fully private crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) – NET March 30th April 3rd, and Transporter-4 – SpaceX’s fourth dedicated rideshare mission – NET “early April”. Next Spaceflight also reports that SpaceX is scheduled to launch Egypt’s Nilesat-301 geostationary communication satellite sometime in April.
Tesla has given its biggest hint that Full Self-Driving in Europe is imminent, as a new feature seems to show that the company is preparing for frequent border crossings.
Tesla owner and influencer BLKMDL3, also known as Zack, recently took his Tesla to the border of California and Mexico at Tijuana, and at the international crossing, Full Self-Driving showed an interesting message: “Upcoming country border — FSD (Supervised) will become unavailable.”
FSD now shows a new message when approaching an international border crossing.
Stayed engaged the whole way as we crossed the border and worked great in Mexico! pic.twitter.com/bDzyLnyq0g
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) January 26, 2026
Due to regulatory approvals, once a Tesla operating on Full Self-Driving enters a new country, it is required to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to that territory. Even if legal, it seems Tesla will shut off FSD temporarily, confirming it is in a location where operation is approved.
This is something that will be extremely important in Europe, as crossing borders there is like crossing states in the U.S.; it’s pretty frequent compared to life in America, Canada, and Mexico.
Tesla has been working to get FSD approved in Europe for several years, and it has been getting close to being able to offer it to owners on the continent. However, it is still working through a lot of the red tape that is necessary for European regulators to approve use of the system on their continent.
This feature seems to be one that would be extremely useful in Europe, considering the fact that crossing borders into other countries is much more frequent than here in the U.S., and would cater to an area where approvals would differ.
Tesla has been testing FSD in Spain, France, England, and other European countries, and plans to continue expanding this effort. European owners have been fighting for a very long time to utilize the functionality, but the red tape has been the biggest bottleneck in the process.
Tesla Europe builds momentum with expanding FSD demos and regional launches
Tesla operates Full Self-Driving in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship V3 gets launch date update from Elon Musk
The first flight of Starship Version 3 and its new Raptor V3 engines could happen as early as March.
Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX’s next Starship launch, Flight 12, is expected in about six weeks. This suggests that the first flight of Starship Version 3 and its new Raptor V3 engines could happen as early as March.
In a post on X, Elon Musk stated that the next Starship launch is in six weeks. He accompanied his announcement with a photo that seemed to have been taken when Starship’s upper stage was just about to separate from the Super Heavy Booster. Musk did not state whether SpaceX will attempt to catch the Super Heavy Booster during the upcoming flight.
The upcoming flight will mark the debut of Starship V3. The upgraded design includes the new Raptor V3 engine, which is expected to have nearly twice the thrust of the original Raptor 1, at a fraction of the cost and with significantly reduced weight. The Starship V3 platform is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability.
The Starship V3 Flight 12 launch timeline comes as SpaceX pursues an aggressive development cadence for the fully reusable launch system. Previous iterations of Starship have racked up a mixed but notable string of test flights, including multiple integrated flight tests in 2025.
Interestingly enough, SpaceX has teased an aggressive timeframe for Starship V3’s first flight. Way back in late November, SpaceX noted on X that it will be aiming to launch Starship V3’s maiden flight in the first quarter of 2026. This was despite setbacks like a structural anomaly on the first V3 booster during ground testing.
“Starship’s twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026,” the company wrote in its post on X.
News
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.
Tesla gives its biggest hint that Full Self-Driving in Europe is imminent
SpaceX Starship V3 gets launch date update from Elon Musk
