News
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says first orbital Starship prototype will be done by June
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the company’s first Starship prototype – a low-fidelity hop test vehicle – has finished assembly in South Texas, paving the way towards a series of experimental vertical take-off or landing (VTOL) hop tests that could begin as early as February or March 2019.
One step beyond the prototype currently rising out of the coastal Texas wetlands, Musk also indicated that the first orbital Starship prototype – essentially the spacecraft’s first full-fidelity test article – could be completed as early as June 2019, a truly extraordinary pace of development for a program as complex and cutting-edge as BFR.
Starship test flight rocket just finished assembly at the @SpaceX Texas launch site. This is an actual picture, not a rendering. pic.twitter.com/k1HkueoXaz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2019
Starhopper rising
Barely six weeks after work began on the massive Starship prototype, SpaceX’s Starhopper appears to have grown to its full ~40m (~130 ft) height in South Texas. Following a preliminary fit test on Tuesday, January 8th, workers made a second attempt on Wednesday and completed the final attachment of Starhopper’s upper and lower halves. Intriguingly, no time was wasted spot-welding the halves together after their successful docking, and an additional sheet of stainless steel has been welded over the seam in the hours since then.
-
- It remains to be seen if BFR can be made as reusable and reliable as it will need to be to sustainably support interplanetary humans. (SpaceX)
-
- Eventually, SpaceX may graduate into high-speed, high-altitude flight tests of the prototype spaceship to fully test the design of its its control surfaces and “ultra-lightweight heat shield”. (SpaceX)
-
- (SpaceX)
-
- BFR’s booster, now known as Super Heavy. (SpaceX)
-
- BFR (2018) breaks through a cloud layer shortly after launch. (SpaceX)
However, what looks like 9m-diameter (~30 ft) steel tank domes are being assembled and welded together at the same SpaceX facility, despite the fact that no domes have been observed being installed inside Starhopper. Musk did seem to indicate that even Starhopper – requiring far less propellant than an orbital Starship – will still feature full 9m (~30 foot) diameter tanks. This could imply that the newly integrated Starhopper has yet to have propellant tank domes installed inside and will need to be taken apart again to allow for that critical final step. If that is not the case, the only possible explanation is that Starhopper’s propellant tanks will actually be less than 9m in diameter and will be lifted up through the vehicle’s aft for installation.
One last increasingly improbable possibility is that a significant portion of the hopper’s upper half will be or already is a pressure vessel capable of holding cryogenic propellant, although the process of actually watching the less than surgical fabrication does not inspire a great deal of confidence in any potential pressure vessel aspirations. In the meantime, we have been given the first look at what the outside of Starhopper will look like once complete. According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, hop tests of the imposing vehicle could begin as few as 4-8 weeks from now.
-
- Starhopper is assembled for the second time, January 9th. (NSF – bocachicagal)
-
- And voila! (NSF – bocachicagal)
-
- Meanwhile, giant 9m-diameter tank domes are being assembled and welded together a few hundred feet away from Starhopper. (NSF – bocachicagal)
To orbit, and beyond!
Aside from offering the above photo and comparing Starhopper’s prospects to those of Falcon 9’s Grasshopper and F9R hop test articles (i.e. very suborbital and very short-lived), Musk also stated that the first orbital Starship prototype could be completed as early as June 2019, as few as three months after Starhopper’s first hop test. This paints at least a rough picture of the planning going on for BFR’s flight test regime, beginning with a suborbital hop test prototype, moving to a full-fidelity Starship capable of high-speed intra-atmospheric heat shield and aero surface testing, and finally full-up orbital testing with the completion of the first BFR booster (now known as Super Heavy).
Should be done with first orbital prototype around June
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2019
Both, but demo Starship is being built now, whereas Super Heavy hardware will start getting built in spring
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2018
According to Musk, the first Super Heavy booster will begin production and assembly as early as spring 2019, while the CEO stated that he believed the odds of BFR (Starship/Super Heavy) reaching orbit by 2020 were 60% and “growing rapidly” thanks to a recent move from carbon composite tankage to stainless steel. If SpaceX and Musk keep putting their money where their mouths are and rapidly building test articles and prototypes, that orbital debut might actually be less insane than it sounds. We’ll find out soon enough.
For prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet check out our brand new LaunchPad and LandingZone newsletters!
Elon Musk appeared on the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis today to discuss AGI, U.S. vs. China, Tesla, and some other interesting topics, but there was some discussion about the upcoming unveiling of the Roadster, the company’s electric supercar that will arrive several years after it was initially slated for release.
Musk made some pretty amazing claims about the Roadster; we already know it is supposed to be lightning-fast and could even hover, if Tesla gets everything to happen the way it wants to. However, the car has some pretty crazy capabilities, some of which have not even been revealed.
On the podcast, Musk said:
“This is not a…safety is not the main goal. If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal. I say, if safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster…We’ll aspire not to kill anyone in this car. It’ll be the best of the last of the human-driven cars. The best of the last.”
🚨 Elon on the Roadster unveiling, scheduled for April 1:
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 6, 2026
Musk makes a good point: people who buy expensive sports cars with ridiculous top speeds and acceleration rates do not buy them to be safe. They hope they are safe in case of an emergency or crash, but safety is not at the forefront of their thoughts, because nobody buys a car thinking they’ll crash it.
The Roadster is truly going to push the limits and capabilities of passenger vehicles; there’s no doubt about that. Tesla plans to show off the new version car for the first time on April 1, and Musk has only hinted at what is possible with it.
Musk said back in November:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Production is set to begin between 12 and 18 months after the unveiling, which would put the car out sometime in 2027. Hopefully, Tesla is able to stay on track with the scheduling of the Roadster; many people have been waiting a long time for it.
News
Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility.
Tesla has launched a hiring initiative for its Robotaxi program in its twentieth country, as the company posted two new jobs in Thailand this week.
Tesla is hiring in Bangkok and Kowloon for the Vehicle Operator position, which is related to data collection, and is the first in Thailand, but the twentieth country overall, as the company tries to expand into other markets.
🚨 BREAKING: Tesla is hiring additional full-time Vehicle Operators in Bangkok, Thailand.
Previous openings were 6-month, part-time roles. These are equivalent to AI Safety Operator roles in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/R6LzoU1bos— Tesla Yoda (@teslayoda) January 5, 2026
Tesla has had active job postings for Vehicle Operator positions in the United States, India, Israel, Taiwan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Norway, Italy, and Turkey in past listings.
These postings are not all currently available, likely because the roles have been filled.
Thailand is the most recent, and broadens the company’s potential path to expanding its ride-hailing program, which is only active in the United States in Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area, so far.
These roles typically involve data collection, which assists in improving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving operation. Tesla’s self-driving programs utilize real-world data that is accumulated and stored, observing vehicle and traffic behavior, as well as tendencies that are performed by human drivers to help increase safety and overall performance.
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility. Although the company has several high-profile rivals and competitors in the field, it has established itself as a main player and a leader in the development of autonomous technology, especially in the U.S., as its FSD suite is refined on almost a weekly basis.
The Full Self-Driving suite is available in seven countries and territories currently, including the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, and New Zealand. Its biggest goal for expansion is currently the European market, where regulatory hurdles have been the main bottleneck prolonging its launch on the continent.
Tesla has performed months of testing in various European countries, including France and Spain, and does have support in some areas from various regulatory agencies. However, the company is hoping to get through this red tape and offer its suite in Europe for the first time, hopefully this year.
News
Tesla China rolls out Model Y upgrades, launches low-interest financing
These strategies are aimed at improving the ownership experience and keeping vehicle pricing competitive in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Tesla has rolled out minor updates to the five-seat Model Y in China, upgrading the vehicle’s center display to a higher-resolution 16-inch 2K screen. The electric vehicle maker also introduced attractive financing options, including 7-year low-interest rates, to offset the new purchase tax on EVs.
These strategies are aimed at improving the ownership experience and keeping vehicle pricing competitive in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Five-seat Model Y gets larger, better display
With its recent update, all three variants of the five-seat Model Y now feature an upgraded 16-inch 2K resolution center display, which replaces the vehicle’s previous 15.4-inch 1080p panel. This screen was already used in the six-seat Model Y L, and it offered improved visual clarity. Tesla China has also updated the Model Y’s headliner to black, giving the vehicle a sleeker appearance.
Prices of the five-seat Model Y remain unchanged at RMB 263,500, RMB 288,500, and RMB 313,500 for the respective trims. This update enhances the cabin experience as domestic rivals are already adopting high-resolution screens. As noted in a CNEV Post report, some domestic automakers have begun rolling out vehicles equipped with 3K-resolution displays.
New financing offers
Tesla also launched ultra-long-term financing offers for its locally produced models in China, which include the Model 3 sedan, the five-seat Model Y, and the six-seat Model Y L, through January 31, 2026. The 7-year option features an annualized fee rate as low as 0.5%, which is equivalent to 0.98% interest. This is expected to save customers up to RMB 33,479 ($4,790) compared to standard rates.
A 5-year zero-interest plan is also available, and it has been extended to the Tesla Model Y L for the first time. These incentives help offset China’s new 5% purchase tax on New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) in 2026-2027. Some of Tesla’s rivals in China have announced in recent months that they would be covering the purchase tax owed by buyers early this year.
Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster
Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
