News
SpaceX fairing catcher Mr. Steven to attempt first Falcon fairing catch in months
Currently stationkeeping in the Pacific Ocean 220 miles (350 km) south of SpaceX’s Vandenberg launch pad, it’s starting to look like SpaceX fairing catcher Mr. Steven will soon attempt its first operational Falcon 9 fairing recovery in more than four months.
On the tail of the SpaceX’s fourth or fifth controlled fairing drop test, a series of tests that coincided with Mr. Steven attempting no recovery during the last West Coast launch, it’s possible that SpaceX engineers now believe the company is ready to successfully catch a fairing after an actual Falcon 9 launch. If so, the twice-flown Falcon 9’s third launch – with Spaceflight’s SSO-A satellite rideshare mission in tow – is the best chance yet for SpaceX to take its last critical step towards fairing reusability.
Good News and Bad News! Firstly, launch is pushed back a day till the 3rd. The good news is that Mr Steven's destination is set to SSO-A and might make a catch attempt! pic.twitter.com/3FNvifyRPX
— Gav Cornwell (@SpaceOffshore) December 2, 2018
Over the last four months, Mr. Steven’s crew of SpaceX and GO engineers and technicians have gradually introduced significant modifications to the vessel’s fairing recovery hardware, including major changes to the net’s motorized rigging, the installation of a curious lone arm on his bow, and – most recently – an odd mini-net that appears to be able to move around the gap between Mr. Steven’s main net and deck.
Aside from extensive (albeit subtle) hardware modifications, SpaceX workers conducted no less than four dedicated fairing drop tests, in which a helicopter would lift a specially-modified Falcon fairing half, releasing it around 10,000 feet so that it could deploy its parafoil and glide towards attempted soft landings in Mr. Steven’s net. While it’s almost impossible to know without official confirmation whether any drop test actually occurred, the fairing half involved clearly survived each trip out to sea and is currently stationed out of the way at SpaceX’s Berth 240 facilities.
At one point, the recognizable test-specific fairing half did return to port in Mr. Steven’s net and remained there overnight, perhaps indicating that SpaceX saw some success with its experimental drop-and-catch tests. A step further, while it’s fairly easy to literally discern the changes made to Mr. Steven over the last several months, it’s impossible to know just how much the fairing’s own guidance and navigation computers (GNC) and aerodynamic control surfaces (a steerable parafoil) factored into several failed recovery attempts after launches.
More likely than not, Mr. Steven is no more responsible for ensuring fairings are caught than SpaceX’s drone ships are for Falcon 9 booster landings – the most they can typically do is be in the right spot at the right time, although Mr. Steven does admittedly have a bit more flexibility to adjust his net’s position at the last second. Given that SpaceX intentionally avoided a fairing recovery attempt during October 7’s West Coast Falcon 9 launch, choosing instead to travel to the vicinity of Catalina Island for controlled experiments, it seems improbable that SpaceX would attempt another post-launch fairing recovery unless if the program’s engineers hadn’t gained some level of additional confidence.
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- A very sooty B1046 is – fingers crossed – at long last ready for its third flight after almost three weeks of delays. (Pauline Acalin)
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- Soot, o’ glorious soot. (Pauline Acalin)
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- Mr. Steven’s main net has sprouting a forest of additional rigging over the last month or two. (Pauline Acalin)
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- Main net, meet bby net. (Pauline Acalin)
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- What dat net do?
As such, the launch of SSO-A – already a milestone by thanks to its twice-flown Falcon 9 booster – may also be SpaceX’s best chance yet at successfully catching a Falcon 9 payload fairing in Mr. Steven’s net. Questions remain, of course. What does his cabled unicorn horn accomplish? Why the recent installation of a tiny secondary net? What exactly has Mr. Steven been up to lately in the Pacific Ocean? Who knows, but make sure to watch SpaceX’s launch attempt – NET 10:32 am PST (17:32 UTC) December 3rd – live tomorrow.
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Elon Musk
Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla has granted Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu more than 520,000 stock options, tying a significant portion of his compensation to the company’s long-term performance.
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla secures top talent
According to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tom Zhu received 520,021 stock options with an exercise price of $435.80 per share. Since the award will not fully vest until March 5, 2031, Zhu must remain at Tesla for more than five years to realize the award’s full benefit.
Considering that Tesla shares are currently trading at around the $445 to $450 per share level, Zhu will really only see gains in his equity award if Tesla’s stock price sees a notable rise over the years, as noted in a Sina Finance report.
Still, even at today’s prices, Zhu’s stock award is already worth over $230 million. If Tesla reaches the market cap targets set forth in Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, Zhu would become a billionaire from this equity award alone.
Tesla’s problem solver
Zhu joined Tesla in April 2014 and initially led the company’s Supercharger rollout in China. Later that year, he assumed the leadership of Tesla’s China business, where he played a central role in Tesla’s localization efforts, including expanding retail and service networks, and later, overseeing the development of Gigafactory Shanghai.
Zhu’s efforts helped transform China into one of Tesla’s most important markets and production hubs. In 2023, Tesla promoted Zhu to Senior Vice President of Automotive, placing him among the company’s core global executives and expanding his influence beyond China. He has since garnered a reputation as the company’s problem solver, being tapped by Elon Musk to help ramp Giga Texas’s vehicle production.
With this in mind, Tesla’s recent filing seems to suggest that the company is locking in its top talent as it enters its newest, most ambitious era to date. As could be seen in the targets of Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package, Tesla is now aiming to be the world’s largest company by market cap, and it is aiming to achieve production levels that are unheard of. Zhu’s talents would definitely be of use in this stage of the company’s growth.
News
Tesla counters Norway’s VAT hike with dedicated consumer bonus
The move follows Tesla Norway’s stunning finish in 2025, where the company saw substantial sales during the final weeks of the year.
Tesla has rolled out a price incentive in Norway, effectively offsetting a notable VAT increase that hit electric vehicle buyers at the start of 2026.
The move follows Tesla Norway’s stunning finish in 2025, where the company saw substantial sales during the final weeks of the year.
A “Tesla bonus”
Once the VAT increase kicked in at the start of 2026, Tesla Norway’s sales cooled almost immediately, as noted in a CarUp report. Tesla’s response was swift, with the electric vehicle maker rolling out what it calls a “Tesla bonus.”
This bonus effectively cuts prices by up to 50,000 kronor across eight model variants. All versions of the Tesla Model Y qualify for the incentive, along with most Tesla Model 3 trims, save for the base entry-level model.
This means that for Tesla Norway’s best-selling vehicles, the bonus effectively restores pricing to pre-VAT levels. This blunts the impact of the new tax and makes Tesla’s vehicle offerings competitive again in Europe’s most EV-saturated market.
Stabilizing demand
In addition to the “Tesla bonus,” the electric car maker is also offering a promotional interest rate for up to three years, with terms varying by model. The incentive applies to orders placed between January 9 and March 31, 2026, with delivery required by the end of the first quarter.
The stakes are high in Norway, where electric vehicles dominate new-car registrations. From the vehicles that were sold in 2025, 96% of new cars sold were fully electric. And from this number, Tesla and its Model Y made their dominance felt. This was highlighted by Geir Inge Stokke, director of OFV, who noted that Tesla was able to achieve its stellar results despite its small vehicle lineup.
“Taking almost 20% market share during a year with record-high new car sales is remarkable in itself. When a brand also achieves such volumes with so few models, it says a lot about both demand and Tesla’s impact on the Norwegian market,” Stokke stated.
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era
