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SpaceX to livestream private BFR Moon mission “in high-def VR” with Starlink satellites
Following a detailed update to SpaceX’s BFR plans and the first privately contracted mission to the Moon, CEO Elon Musk has tweeted that the company intends to stream the entire six-day journey in “high def VR”, a plan that would demand unprecedented communications capabilities between the Moon and the Earth.
Musk further confirmed that “Starlink should be active by [2023]”, suggesting – at a minimum – that the SpaceX-built and SpaceX-launched internet satellite constellation will have reached what is known as ‘initial operating capability’, pegged for Starlink at roughly 800 satellites launched.
Moon mission will be livestreamed in high def VR, so it’ll feel like you’re there in real-time minus a few seconds for speed of light
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2018
No small task
To give some rough context for what Musk wants, streaming in high-enough quality for a good virtual reality (VR) experience on a deep space voyage around the Moon will demand a sea of bandwidth that’s difficult to find even on the surface of Earth, let alone in space. A 2017 estimate pegged the bandwidth requirements for 4K VR streaming around 300 megabits per second (Mbps), while a solution more fitting for five years of iterative improvement between now and 2023 might demand almost a magnitude greater bandwidth (~3000+ Mbps).
For context, the average American internet connection hovers around 15-20 Mbps while the average 4K YouTube video takes about 25 Mbps to stream, meaning that BFR’s communications link between the ~390,000 km (240,000 mi) Earth-Moon gap would need to be anywhere from 10 to more than 100 times faster than typical Earthly connectivity. While NASA has already completed a successful tech demonstration of laser communications from the Moon to the Earth, maxing out at a rather impressive ~620 Mbps in 2013, that one-off test concluded years ago, and there simply is no infrastructure available to achieve the sort of capabilities SpaceX will need to stream a lunar voyage in VR.
Starlink to the rescue
The only possible way SpaceX could accomplish this sort of technical feat is by having their own high-bandwidth satellite constellation at least partially operational, needs that mesh reasonably well SpaceX’s public planning schedule for their Starlink constellation. Speaking in late-2017, SpaceX VP of Satellite Government Affairs Patricia Cooper laid out a timeline that would see ~800 satellites launches sometime in the early 2020s, followed later by the remaining ~3600 spacecraft in the Phase 1 constellation. Those launches would take place between 2019 and 2024.
Since then, Musk has indirectly hinted that Starlink’s schedule has slipped or stretched 6-12 months, unsurprising for such a massive technical task at hand. This still leaves a fair amount of time for some sort of initial operational capability to be realized, even if it is little more than the skeleton necessary for Musk’s high-def VR-streaming ambitions. Although the tweet response that triggered it was deleted, Musk confirmed in the comments of his original tweet that Starlink would be the relay network of choice – having an Earth network already installed would certainly minimize the need for global ground stations to receive a BFR spaceship’s continuous lunar downlink.
Yeah, Starlink should be active by then
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2018
Evidenced by previous comments from Musk and NASA execs expressing interest in developing a commercial communications relay between Earth and Mars, the thought is at least there that the Starlink satellite bus may sooner or later be called upon to serve as deep space communications relays throughout the solar system, beginning with the Moon and Mars.
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- SpaceX’s first two Starlink prototype satellites are pictured here before their inaugural Feb. 2018 launch, showing off a utilitarian design. (SpaceX)
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- SpaceX’s updated BFR spaceship seen cresting over the Moon’s limb. (SpaceX)
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- Falcon 9 B1049 returns to Cape Canaveral, 09/12/18. (Tom Cross)
It’s possible that those distinct space environments would necessitate changes to the spacecraft’s hardware and software, but the fundamental goal of mass-producing Starlink satellites at an unprecedented scale and cost means that a few off-the-shelf satellites could plausibly be placed in relay positions under the assumption that they will die faster than those in Earth orbit. At just a few hundred kilograms apiece, Falcon 9 would have no problems launching a handful to the Moon or elsewhere, and they could potentially be included as copassengers on BFR launches, acting as a sort of a la carte communications relay for the spaceship.
Time will tell, but SpaceX fans certainly have an incredible amount of things to look forward too from the last 48 hours alone, regardless of whether the #dearMoon BFR mission’s 2023 launch target slips (spoiler: it probably will).
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Tesla Cybercab stands to gain from new rules that the Trump Administration is aiming to enforce on autonomous vehicles. On Thursday, NHTSA, under the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Transportation, commenced rulemaking on the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
This effort aims to eliminate the mandate for manual brake pedals in vehicles that are designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems. This would impact the Tesla Cybercab, which the company has stated would operate without a steering wheel or pedals.
Tesla Cybercab launch is imminent after latest sighting at Giga Texas
The Trump Administration is looking to revise FMVSS No. 135, which requires standard braking systems on light-duty vehicles.
Currently, the regulation requires light-duty cars to use traditional manual braking systems that allow operators to slow the vehicle. With the advent of self-driving in the U.S., these regulations need updating, and these are the changes that could come to FMVSS No. 135:
- Removes requirements for hand- or foot-operated brake controls for vehicles designed never to be operated by a human. Existing rules still apply to AVs that retain manual controls.
- All subject vehicles must still meet the same stopping distance performance criteria via alternative testing procedures.
- While this update ensures AVs can physically stop when commanded, NHTSA is separately developing safety performance requirements for AVs in real-world driving scenarios.
- NHTSA will continue to use its broad defect enforcement authority to investigate unsafe ADS behavior and oversee recalls.
As autonomy becomes a greater part of passenger travel, these types of rule adjustments will be more than reasonable. It will give manufacturers the ability to self-certify their vehicles and avoid any red tape that could ultimately delay the deployment of these vehicles.
Administrators are also incredibly excited about the opportunity to play a role in the advancement of self-driving vehicles.
“We are at the cusp of the greatest technological revolution in vehicle technology since the innovation of the Model T,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said. “If we want America to lead the way, we have to reimagine our regulatory framework. That’s why under Secretary Sean Duffy’s AV Framework, NHTSA is tearing down pointless barriers to innovative designs while strengthening the fundamental safety requirements that matter and holding AV developers accountable for safe performance.”
The Cybercab entered mass production at Gigafactory Texas in April. Tesla ultimately plans to push the vehicle into its Robotaxi fleet, potentially when frameworks like these are established.
Tesla plans to boost production at its Gigafactory Berlin plant in Germany following a sharp rebound in sales and demand in Europe after a softer 2025.
The plans put Tesla in a better position to compete with strengthening companies in Europe and potentially other markets; demand indicators show Tesla is much better off than in 2025.
Last year was a tough year for Tesla in terms of overall demand in Europe. The company produced over 200,000 vehicles at the German plant last year, a soft figure compared to the 375,000 vehicles Tesla lists as its current capacity at the factory.
🚨 Tesla said this morning it will ramp up production at Gigafactory Berlin to a volume of 7,500 vehicles per week.
This is a 20 percent boost in production. Tesla will hire 1,000 new employees to help with the increase.$TSLA pic.twitter.com/kravKfRO5n
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) June 25, 2026
Tesla’s overall European sales dropped significantly last year due to a variety of factors. However, sales are rebounding, and demand is strong once again, and only getting stronger. Tesla is now planning to bump production of Model Y vehicles at Giga Berlin upward by about 20 percent. It will also bring 1,000 new jobs to the plant.
Tesla confirmed the details of its planned production expansion in Germany this morning. It is a strategy to keep up with strengthening demand.
In Q1, Tesla saw a record 61,000 vehicles produced at Giga Berlin. European registrations rebounded sharply, with Model Y seeing 117 percent increases in March 2026 compared to last year. Germany alone saw stark increases, with a quadrupling in registrations to 9,252 units.
This trend continued in other key European markets, including France, Denmark and Sweden. Tesla registrations were up over 46 percent in some of these markets, and Model Y continued its trend as a top BEV in the market.
Demand has been recovering strongly in 2026, giving Tesla a reason to expand production efforts at the factory. These increases signal management’s confidence in sustained or growing European pull for Berlin-built vehicles.
Tesla is being sued by the family of the woman who was killed in a Texas crash involving a Model 3. The driver, who is also being sued, claimed the vehicle was operating on Autopilot mode, but Tesla executives have come out challenging that claim, stating that the driver of the vehicle overrode the system.
The lawsuit was filed by 76-year-old Martha Avila’s daughter and her husband, who allege a “design defect” involving a Tesla and a failure to warn. The suit alleges negligence against Tesla and the driver, Michael Butler.
Butler “stated he was operating with an automated driving assistance system engaged at the time of the crash,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. He showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperative, the Sheriff’s Office said, according to NBC News.
Just after reports of the crash and numerous headlines that immediately blamed Tesla’s Autopilot suite, both Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Head of AI Ashok Elluswamy challenged that. Musk said the crash made “no sense” given that Tesla Autopilot and Full Self-Driving do not travel at the speeds the door cameras captured the car traveling at, which Tesla says was 73 MPH.
Tesla finally clarifies fatal Texas crash, confirms driver manually overrode acceleration
Elluswamy also revealed that Tesla data showed Butler overrode the system by pressing the accelerator to 100%, and that the pedal was compressed fully even after the car had crashed. Tesla has not released this data to the public, likely because it is communicating with agencies like the NHTSA on an investigation.
The suit uses a Washington Post analysis of government data that “identified at least 17 fatal incidents linked to Tesla Autopilot.”
This is far from the first time an accident has been blamed on Autopilot. A fatal crash in Texas was blamed on Autopilot several years ago, but when Tesla released data to the NTSB, which was investigating the crash, Autopilot was not available where the crash occurred, and Autosteer was never enabled, meaning the car was manually controlled at the time of the accident.
“Application of the accelerator pedal was found to be as high as 98.8 percent,” the NTSB said in their findings. The highest recorded speed in the five seconds leading up to the impact was 67 miles per hour. The area where the crash occurred is residential, and Texas State laws… pic.twitter.com/XGD97NHVZ2
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 18, 2026
More information on the accident will be released as Tesla works with agencies to find the cause of the crash. From personal experience, it is hard to imagine Tesla Autopilot or FSD operating in this manner. It drives sometimes too cautiously in residential areas in parking lots, at least in my experience. Speeding happens, but at this rate in this type of area, it is hard to believe.
We look forward to more details being released with time.
Tesla Cybercab stands to gain from new Trump autonomy rules
Tesla plans production boost at Giga Berlin following rebound in Europe
