Connect with us

News

SpaceX to launch the Euclid Space Telescope for the European Space Agency

Euclid Space Telescope mounted to Falcon 9 payload adapter (Credit SpaceX)

Published

on

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than July 1st at 11:11 a.m. ET (15:11 UTC) for the launch of the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Originally meant to launch on a Russian Soyuz 2.1 rocket, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine forced the ESA’s hand to change launch providers, then in October 2022, selected a SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch the telescope.

Euclid will be launched 1.5 million km from Earth to Lagrange Point 2, the same area where NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope resides. Euclid will be used to create a 3D map of the universe, using time as the 3rd dimension. The telescope will collect data in both visible and infrared light seeing as far back as 10 billion light-years.

Euclid’s journey to L2 (Credit European Space Agency)

This will be the 2nd furthest mission SpaceX has initially launched, behind only the DART mission, which was sent 11 million km to intercept the asteroid moon Dimorphos.

Euclid arrived via ship from Cannes, France to Port Canaveral, Florida on May 3rd and then delivered to Astrotech for fueling. The spacecraft was filled with 140 kg of hydrazine and 70 kg of nitrogen on June 16th, this will provide enough fuel for a 6-year mission. It was then mounted onto the Falcon 9 payload adapter on June 23rd and will be encapsulated in the Falcon 9 payload fairings this week if not already completed.

After its launch atop the Falcon 9, Euclid will use its 10 hydrazine-fueled thrusters to head to Lagrange Point 2, which will take ~30 days and once it has arrived, the 6 nitrogen cold gas thrusters will be used by the spacecraft to maintain a stable platform for capturing images.

Euclid isn’t the only mission that was switched to a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. HERA, a mission to study the effects of the DART impact on Dimorphos, was switched from ESA’s new Ariane 6 rocket that has been delayed to late 2023 at the earliest.

Advertisement
-->

Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.

Launch journalist, specializing in launch photography. Based on the Space Coast, a short drive from Cape Canaveral and the SpaceX launch pads.

Advertisement
Comments

Investor's Corner

SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms

However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon. Musk replied, basically confirming it.

Published

on

elon musk side profile
Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk confirmed through a post on X that a SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) is on the way after hinting at it several times earlier this year.

It also comes one day after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was aiming for a valuation of $1.5 trillion, adding that it wanted to raise $30 billion.

Musk has been transparent for most of the year that he wanted to try to figure out a way to get Tesla shareholders to invest in SpaceX, giving them access to the stock.

He has also recognized the issues of having a public stock, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.

However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon.

Advertisement
-->

Musk replied, basically confirming it:

Berger believes the IPO would help support the need for $30 billion or more in capital needed to fund AI integration projects, such as space-based data centers and lunar satellite factories. Musk confirmed recently that SpaceX “will be doing” data centers in orbit.

AI appears to be a “key part” of SpaceX getting to Musk, Berger also wrote. When writing about whether or not Optimus is a viable project and product for the company, he says that none of that matters. Musk thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.

Advertisement
-->

It seems like Musk has certainly mulled something this big for a very long time, and the idea of taking SpaceX public is not just likely; it is necessary for the company to get to Mars.

The details of when SpaceX will finally hit that public status are not known. Many of the reports that came out over the past few days indicate it would happen in 2026, so sooner rather than later.

But there are a lot of things on Musk’s plate early next year, especially with Cybercab production, the potential launch of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and the Roadster unveiling, all planned for Q1.

Advertisement
-->
Continue Reading

News

Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025

Published

on

tesla supercharger
Credit: Tesla

Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.

BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.

Advertisement
-->

Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:

  • i4: 2022-2026 model years
  • i5: 2024-2025 model years
    • 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
  • i7: 2023-2026 model years
  • iX: 2022-2025 model years
    • 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026

With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.

So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:

  • Audi
  • BMW
  • Genesis
  • Honda
  • Hyundai
  • Jaguar Land Rover
  • Kia
  • Lucid
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Nissan
  • Polestar
  • Subaru
  • Toyota
  • Volkswagen
  • Volvo

Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.

They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations

This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.

Published

on

Credit: Grok

Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.

Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.

This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.

While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:

In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.

Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:

Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.

However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.

It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.

Advertisement
-->

Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.

All in all, this App update was pretty robust.

Advertisement
-->
Continue Reading