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SpaceX awarded double-satellite Falcon 9 launch contract, sixth win of 2019

Falcon 9 B1051 stands vertical at SpaceX's SLC-4E Vandenberg launch pad, June 2019. (SpaceX)

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SpaceX continues to reap the benefits of strong market demand for Falcon 9’s combination of affordability and performance with an announcement that the company has won its sixth launch contract in 2019.

Announced on July 3rd by Space Norway and several other stakeholders, a SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch an identical pair of communications satellites to an unusual orbit no earlier than late 2022. Northrop Grumman will build both ~2000-kilogram (4400 lb) spacecraft.

Known officially as the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), Space Norway has partnered with satellite operator Inmarsat and the Norwegian Ministry of Defense to provide connectivity to civilian and military users in and around the Arctic. Additionally, the US Air Force will have its own communications payloads on both satellites, rounding out the extremely busy mission.

The two ASBM satellites will be built around the GEOStar-3 bus, originally introduced by Orbital Sciences Corporation (acquired by Alliant Techsystems to become Orbital ATK, then acquired by Northrop Grumman to become Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems). Each satellite will produce 6 kW via solar arrays, while the GEOStar-3 bus can support all-chemical propulsion, all-electric propulsion, or a hybrid approach. Falcon 9’s 2022 launch of ASBM will mark the first time that GEOSat-3 satellites have utilized their stacking capability, with both spacecraft heading to orbit on the same rocket.

Northrop Grumman released this render of the two ASBM spacecraft alongside the announcement that it would be the prime contractor. (Northrop Grumman)

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the ASBM mission is the extremely unusual orbit Falcon 9 will be launching them to. According to info published by Space Norway on June 24th, they will be targeting a final orbit roughly comparable to the Molniya orbits originally used by Soviet Union military communications satellites as early as the mid-1960s. ASBM’s orbits will also be highly elliptical and approximately polar, with an apogee of 43,000 km (26,700 mi) and a perigee of 8000 km (5000 mi). Traditionally, Molniya orbits had much lower perigees, but the higher perigee of ASBM satellites should allow them to operate indefinitely without having to worry about atmospheric drag lowering their orbits.

The ASBM satellites will reach their perigee somewhere over Antarctica and will generally power down their communications hardware until they are back over the Arctic. By having two satellites, the other satellite will be able to guarantee continuous coverage while its twin is out of contact.

Falcon 9 B1046 lifts off for the third time in December 2018. (SpaceX)

With an overall payload weight around 4000 kg (8800 lb), it’s likely that Falcon 9 has the performance necessary to place the spacecraft in a transfer orbit (likely ~300 km by 43,000 km) and safely land on a SpaceX drone ship, in which case the satellites would raise their perigees themselves. It’s unlikely that a recoverable Falcon 9 launch has enough performance to send the satellites directly to their final orbits, although an expendable mission might be able to do it.

Regardless, this launch contract is yet another sign that SpaceX will continue to have strong demand for Falcon 9 launch services in the coming years. ASBM is the sixth win for SpaceX just in the last four or so months, beginning in February with three US military contracts, followed by a NASA contract in April and a Korean mission in June.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla owner-investor stands ground after receiving Nazi-themed mail, welcomes new Model Y

The Tesla investor even made it a point to purchase the brightest shade available for her new Model Y.

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Credit: Tesla

A TSLA investor has decided to stand her ground after receiving a threatening, Nazi-themed card at her home.

The Tesla investor even welcomed a new Ultra Red Tesla Model Y to show her support for the company.

Responding with a New Tesla

As per 58-year-old Alexandra Merz, an investment analyst and immigration consultant who immigrated from Germany to the United States, she received mail from a Boston address to her home on April 17. Upon opening the letter, she was greeted by an image of the Tesla logo incorporated with a Nazi salute.

Inside the card was a handwritten message which read, “History has its eyes on you.” Merz promptly reported the message to the FBI. In a comment to the New York Post, she stated that she is now even more motivated to support Elon Musk and his ventures.

“This atrocious behavior motivates me even more to stand up for Tesla, Elon, and DOGE,” Merz noted. “I bought our fifth Tesla last Saturday, a beautiful red Model Y, the best car out there. And it drives itself.”

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An Unfortunate Trend

In previous comments, Merz expressed her disdain for the ongoing attacks against Tesla and Musk. “Tesla is employing more than 140,000 employees worldwide, building the most American cars in the U.S., and building the European Model Ys in Berlin. I often wonder whether these protesters have thought through what they are doing,” she stated.

Elon Musk himself admitted to the disturbing trend during Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call, stating that “there’s been some blowback for the time that I’ve been spending in government with the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.” The CEO also stated that he would soon be stepping back from DOGE’s everyday operations and focusing more of his time on Tesla.

U.S. President Donald Trump also addressed the ongoing attacks on Teslas in a comment about Musk’s impeding step back from DOGE. As per Trump, people against Musk are taking out their frustrations on Tesla and its owners, which is unfair. He also described the people behind the attacks on Tesla as “sick.”

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Trump’s tariff exemptions for car parts bring mixed relief to automakers  

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(Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 <, via Wikimedia Commons)

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to grant tariff exemptions for car parts, offering partial relief to automakers amid intense industry lobbying. Trump’s tariff exemptions aim to ease the burden of trade policies disrupting the auto sector.

The expected tariff exemptions will spare car parts from duties targeting Chinese imports and those on steel and aluminum, per two sources familiar with the matter. Sources called the strategy a “destacking” of tariffs. The 25% tariff on foreign-made cars, already in effect, and a 25% duty on imported car parts, set for May 3, will remain.

The Center for Automotive Research estimated that Trump’s 25% tariffs on automotive imports will inflate automakers’ costs by $108 billion in 2025, threatening profitability and supply chains. Automakers are clambering to comply with Trump’s auto tariffs while maintaining car prices, or at least keeping prices reasonable. However, the tariffs threaten to unravel the auto industry, affecting automakers, parts suppliers, and long-established supply chains.

Tesla has quickly adjusted to Trump’s auto tariffs, suspending plans to ship components from China for its Cybercab and Semi electric trucks to the U.S. Similarly, Ford halted shipments of select vehicles to China, facing retaliatory tariffs as high as 150%, which have severely impacted its export strategy.

The partial exemptions offer a reprieve for automakers reliant on global supply chains, but the persistent 25% tariffs on cars and auto parts continue to challenge cost structures. As U.S. automakers navigate these trade hurdles, the exemptions could stabilize some operations, though rising car prices and supply chain disruptions remain significant concerns for the industry’s outlook in 2025.

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Donald Trump shares thoughts on Elon Musk’s DOGE step back

The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.”

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

During Tesla’s first quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk announced that starting in May, he would be stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) daily operations. 

Musk’s comments were received positively by TSLA investors, resulting in the company’s stock rising despite Tesla missing Q1 expectations.

Musk’s Comments

In his opening remarks at the Tesla Q1 2025 earnings call, Musk acknowledged that there has been some blowback to Tesla due to his activities at DOGE. And while he believes that the protests against Tesla are very organized and likely paid for, he also noted that it is time for him to allocate more of his time to Tesla. 

“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly… I’ll be allocating probably more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk noted.

Trump’s Response

Considering Musk’s comments, it was no surprise that United States President Donald Trump was asked about the CEO’s impending step back from DOGE. Trump stated that he “can’t speak more highly about any individual,” and that Elon Musk has contributed a lot to the administration due to his work with DOGE. The president highlighted, however, that the backlash against Tesla has been extremely unfair. 

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“I also know that he was treated very unfairly by the, I guess he called the public, by some of the public, not by all of it. He makes an incredible car. Everything he does is good, but they took it out on Tesla, and I just thought it was so unfair, because he’s trying to help the country, but he has helped the country,” Trump stated.

The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.” Trump also praised Elon Musk’s initiatives, stating that all the CEO’s projects are great, from Starlink to Neuralink to SpaceX to Tesla.

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