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SpaceX and Elon Musk share insights on Starship Ship 36’s RUD

Starship Ship 36 experienced a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly during a static fire attempt.

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Elon Musk and SpaceX provided an explanation for the Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) of Starship Ship 36 on Wednesday. As per Musk, preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) in the vehicle’s payload bay failed below its proof pressure.

On Wednesday evening, Ship 36 experienced a RUD during a static fire attempt. Videos of the incident that were shared online showed Starship Ship 36 exploding into a massive fireball at its launchpad in Starbase, Texas. Images taken in the aftermath of the explosion showed significant damage to the plumbing in the area. The site’s pad structure was also destroyed.

Elon Musk shared some information immediately after the incident. In a response to a post from space enthusiast @Erdayastronaut, Musk stated that “Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure.”

Musk also noted that, “If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.”

SpaceX provided more insight into the incident in a post on its official website.

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“After completing a single-engine static fire earlier this week, the vehicle was in the process of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fire when a sudden energetic event resulted in the complete loss of Starship and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand.

“The explosion ignited several fires at the test site, which remains clear of personnel and will be assessed once it has been determined to be safe to approach. Individuals should not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,” SpaceX wrote in its post.

SpaceX highlighted that despite Starship Ship 36’s RUD, the incident will not result in any hazards to the surrounding communities in the Rio Grande Valley. And in a post on X, SpaceX also confirmed that everyone in the Starship team was safe and accounted for after Ship 36’s explosion.

While Ship 36’s RUD is a speed bump for the Starship program, SpaceX is a company that is known to grow stronger with every adversity. Thus, it would not be surprising if SpaceX implemented numerous improvements to Starship after this incident–improvements that would make the vehicle more reliable and safer than before.

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Elon Musk slams Sky News over Epstein invite: “Deserves complete contempt”

“Anyone pushing this false narrative deserves complete contempt,” Musk wrote.

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Wcamp9, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk has slammed media outlet Sky News for publishing a misleading headline surrounding an invitation he received from the late Jefferey Epstein, who is infamous for allegedly orchestrating a global trafficking ring.

Despite indicating in its article that Musk was just invited to the island, Sky News nevertheless ran with a headline saying that the CEO was “named” in the latest Epstein files release.

Sky News’ article

As could be seen in Sky News’ own article, which had a headline that read “Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in latest Epstein files release,” Musk’s name came out on Epstein’s daily schedule back in 2014. “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec.6 (is this still happening?)” The entry read. 

Sky News then provided some context on the entry: “They show Musk as a potential visitor to Epstein’s island, Little St James, on 6 December 2014 – six years after Epstein became a listed sex offender.”

Interestingly, while the latest release also named Prince Andrew, who does appear in Epstein’s flight logs, Sky News nonetheless opened its article by discussing Musk. It also used Musk’s photo as its featured image for its article.

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Musk slams Sky News

Sky News’ framing of the story and its use of Elon Musk as a header image on its article did not escape X’s Community Notes, which proceeded to state that the CEO was only invited by the controversial figure. Interestingly enough, the media outlet also disabled replies to its post amid criticism from the social media platform’s users. Musk himself slammed Sky News for its misleading angle. 

“Shame on Sky News for this utterly misleading headline. Anyone pushing this false narrative deserves complete contempt. Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED, yet they name me even before Prince Andrew, who did visit,” Musk wrote in a post on X. 

Despite Musk’s comments and Sky News getting Community Noted, the media outlet’s story has been used as yet another piece of ammo by the CEO’s critics. As highlighted by broadcaster Mehdi Raza Hasan on X:

“Such a bad week for Musk – he spends years obsessing over pedophiles only for the NYT to accuse his dad of being one and him knowing about it, and now Epstein asking in a file if Musk was coming to visit him on the island. Sheesh,” Hasan wrote in a post.

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Tesla Model Y sells faster than diesel cars and other EVs in Sweden’s used market

The popular SUV is selling in just nine days on average, faster than any diesel model on the market.

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Credit: Tesla China

Electric cars are increasingly visible on Sweden’s roads, but how quickly they find buyers varies widely. New data from Blocket, compiled for CarUp, has shown that while the average used EV takes longer to sell than a diesel car, the Tesla Model Y is bucking the trend in a notable way. 

The popular SUV is selling in just nine days on average, faster than any diesel model on the market.

Used Model Y leads

Blocket’s statistics show nearly 18,500 used EVs currently listed in Sweden. On average, the 20 most popular electric cars take 22 days to sell, about six days longer than diesel vehicles. But some models tend to find buyers in substantially different timeframes. The Mini Cooper Electric and Volkswagen ID.3 find buyers in roughly 11 days, while some EVs like the EV6 take a whopping 39 days to sell. 

The Tesla Model Y, thanks to its attractive price in the second hand market and its popularity, sells in just nine days, several days faster than both the EV average and the fastest diesel option, the Volvo V50.

Marcin Stepman, car expert at Blocket, noted that attractive prices are driving Model Y demand, though recent reports have stated that used Tesla prices are rising again in Sweden. “Right now you can actually buy two used Model Y Long Range with low miles for the same price as a new one,” he said.

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An uneven market for other EVs

While the Model Y moves quickly, other electric cars take much longer to sell. The Kia EV6, BMW iX3, and Nissan Leaf often sit on listings for over a month before finding buyers. Models such as the Volvo C40 and Cupra Born typically move in 24–26 days, while the Citroën e-C4 and Tesla’s own Model 3, which is pretty much the sedan version of the Model Y, sell in around 20 days.

The data highlights apparent differences in demand from used car buyers. While interest in electric vehicles is growing, the demand is not evenly distributed across all models. The Tesla Model Y’s performance highlights how brand strength and resale pricing can accelerate turnover, while less in-demand models face longer listing periods in the used car market.

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Tesla Giga Berlin’s water consumption has achieved the unthinkable

Tesla has returned 377,000 cubic meters of annual water rights to local authorities after using less water at Giga Berlin than originally planned.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has returned 377,000 cubic meters of annual water rights to local authorities after using less water at Giga Berlin than originally planned. The rights will now be returned to the Strausberg-Erkner Water Association (WSE), which could then reassign them to municipalities and other users in the region. 

The move follows a revised water supply contract signed last June, which reduced Tesla’s water allocation from its original 2020 agreement.

Lower water consumption

In a comment to rbb24, WSE chairman Thomas Krieger stated that the reallocation process will prioritize municipalities that have not received commitments since March 2022. Any remaining water volumes will then be distributed more broadly until the returned 377,000 cubic meters are fully reassigned.

“Now that Tesla has returned the 377,000 cubic meters, we practically have the potential to make water commitments again. There was a proposal from the associated municipalities that those who haven’t received a commitment since March 2022 should receive subsequent commitments in the ongoing process,” Krieger stated.

Gigafactory Berlin production

Tesla’s decision comes after its reported water consumption in 2024 totaled 456,953 cubic meters, or about 2.16 cubic meters per vehicle produced. That figure includes both industrial and sanitary water use and is significantly below the industry average of 3.50 cubic meters per vehicle. Tesla’s contract from 2020 stipulated a maximum delivery of 1.8 million cubic meters of water.

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Tesla’s Grünheide plant opened in 2022, is the automaker’s only factory in Europe. It employs roughly 11,000 workers and currently produces about 5,000 Model Y vehicles per week, equating to an annual run rate of 250,000 cars. The plant remains central to Tesla’s European growth strategy, serving as a hub for the Model Y and potentially future models aimed at the region. Giga Berlin is also the facility currently producing the Model Y Performance, the top-tier variant of the revamped all-electric crossover.

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