News
SpaceX ‘destacks’ Starship and Super Heavy: what’s next?
On February 14th, a bit less than four days after the giant rocket was used as a backdrop for CEO Elon Musk’s first Starship presentation in years, SpaceX lifted Starship off of the Super Heavy booster and lowered the upper stage to the ground.
In early August 2021, the same pair – Booster 4 and Ship 20 – were stacked for the first time for what was described as a fit test. After briefly forming the largest rocket ever assembled, the stages were ‘destacked’ about an hour later and would ultimately return to the Starbase factory for finishing touches. Six months, one ship cryoproof, three booster cryoproofs, and three ship static fire tests later, Ship 20 and Booster 4 were once stacked to form a massive 119-meter-tall (390 ft) tall rocket
This time around, Starship S20 was stacked on top of Super Heavy B4 not with a giant crane but with a ‘launch and integration tower’ that had been outfitted with three giant arms in the interim. The tower’s main pair of arms – ‘chopsticks’ – lifted the ~100-ton (~220,000 lb) Starship almost 100 meters off the ground, swung it over Super Heavy, and then carefully lowered the stages until Super Heavy was able to latch on.
On its first true demonstration, the complex process went far smoother than anyone outside of SpaceX expected, taking the tower just four or so hours from the start of the lift to hard mate. On February 10th, shortly before Musk’s Starship update, SpaceX even opened the ‘chopsticks’ to their full breadth, leaving all of Starship S20’s weight on Super Heavy B4 and also demonstrating what the pad will likely look like moments before the first orbital Starship launch.
On February 14th, after about four days fully stacked, the tower arms reattached to Ship 20, detached from Super Heavy, and lowered the Starship back to the ground, where it was eventually installed on a transport stand. Later that night and early the next day, SpaceX then moved the ship to a small concrete pad adjacent to the launch tower that’s believed to be meant for cryogenic proof testing. It’s unclear why SpaceX didn’t tested the fully stacked Starship given that both ship and booster have already completed multiple cryogenic proof tests (or wet dress rehearsals with real propellant) over the last few months.
It’s also unclear what more SpaceX can gain from testing Ship 20 on the ground, short of full-stack operations. On Sunday, February 13th, SpaceX did, however, begin filling the orbital launch site’s fuel tanks with liquid methane (LCH4) for the first time. It’s possible that instead of using Ship 20 to test any aspect of the relatively ancient Starship prototype, SpaceX will use Ship 20 to test the orbital tank farm – particularly the fuel side of the farm, which has yet to be tested. Perhaps after testing those systems on the ground, SpaceX will re-stack Ship 20 and Booster 4 and perform a similar wet dress rehearsal to test the tower’s plumbing, the ship-fueling arm, and the overall structural integrity of the fully-stacked rocket.
SpaceX has test windows tentatively scheduled on February 16th, 17th, and 18th.
News
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.
Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.
However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.
Ford is now charging $495 on the Mustang Mach-E frunk (front trunk). What are your thoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/EOzZe3z9ZQ
— Alan of TesCalendar 📆⚡️ (@TesCalendar1) February 24, 2026
Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.
Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.
When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.
Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking
It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.
It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
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- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
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- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
