News
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket goes vertical for 44th Starlink launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has gone vertical at Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A ahead of the company’s 18th launch this year and 44th dedicated Starlink launch overall.
Known as Starlink 4-17, the mission will kick off up to four Starlink launches planned for May 2022. SpaceX has chosen Falcon 9 booster B1058 to launch the mission’s expendable upper stage, reusable fairing, and 53 Starlink V1.5 satellites into space, potentially making it the third Falcon booster to complete its 12th orbital-class launch in the last two months.
Barring delays, Falcon 9 will lift off with Starlink 4-17 as early as 5:42 am EDT on Friday, May 6th.
The mission is about as standard as Starlink launches come. Falcon 9 B1058 will lift off and burn for two and a half minutes before separating, flipping around, reentering Earth’s atmosphere, and landing around 634 kilometers (393 mi) downrange on drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG) six minutes later. The payload fairing will split into halves and separate shortly after booster separation and eventually deploy parachutes for soft ocean landings and recovery. Falcon 9’s upper stage will reach a parking orbit about nine minutes after liftoff, reignite for just a second 45 minutes after liftoff, and deploy all 53 Starlink satellites 53 minutes after liftoff.
Starlink 4-17 will be SpaceX’s 43rd operational Starlink launch and 44th dedicated Starlink launch overall. The mission will raise the total number of Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX in the last three years to just shy of 2500 and the total number of working Starlink satellites in orbit above 2200. When SpaceX received its initial Starlink FCC license in March 2018, the company agreed to a deployment schedule that required half of the then 4425 satellites to be launched within six years and the full constellation within nine years of license receipt – March 2024 and March 2027, respectively.
SpaceX has far exceeded the pace required to meet that schedule. Instead, despite the fact that it took SpaceX 20 months after receiving its license to begin operational Starlink launches in November 2019, SpaceX will cross the halfway point on May 6th, 2022 – nearly two years faster than required. In fact, even without considering Starship’s potential impact, SpaceX’s growing launch cadence suggests that the company could finish its first 4408-satellite Starlink constellation by the FCC’s 50% deadline.
Finally, after Starlink 4-17, SpaceX should also have more than 700 working Starlink V1.5 satellites in orbit since launches began in September 2021. While hundreds of those satellites are still in transit to their final orbits, almost a third of all operational Starlink satellites will have optical inter-satellite links (laser links) once the Starlink V1.5 spacecraft already in orbit finish orbit-raising. Those laser links allow Starlink to connect aircraft, ships, and other moving or exceptionally remote vehicles or locations by routing communications through other Starlink satellites when no line-of-sight ground station is available.
Tesla has landed a massive deal to expand its charging infrastructure for heavy-duty electric trucks — and not just theirs, but all manufacturers.
Tesla entered an agreement with Pilot Travel Centers, the largest operator of travel centers in the United States. Tesla’s Semi Chargers, which are used to charge Class 8 electric trucks, will be responsible for providing energy to various vehicles from a variety of manufacturers.
The first sites are expected to open later this Summer, and will be built at select locations along I-5 and I-10, major routes for commercial vehicles and significant logistics companies. The chargers will be available in California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.
Each station will have between four and eight chargers, delivering up to 1.2 megawatts of power at each stall.
The project is the latest in Tesla’s plans to expand Semi Charging availability. The effort is being put forth to create more opportunities for the development of sustainable logistics.
Senior Vice President of Alternative Fuels at Pilot, Shannon Sturgil, said:
“Helping to shape the future of energy is a strategic pillar in meeting the needs of our guests and the North American transportation industry. Heavy-duty charging is yet another extension of our exploration into alternative fuel offerings, and we’re happy to partner with a leader in the space that provides turnkey solutions and deploys them quickly.”
Tesla currently has 46 public Semi Charger sites in progress or planned across the United States, mostly positioned along major trucking routes and industrial areas. Perhaps the biggest bottleneck with owning an EV early on was charging availability, and that is no different with electric Class 8 trucks. They simply need an area to charge.
Tesla is spearheading the effort to expand Semicharging availability, and the latest partnership with Pilot shows the company has allies in the program.
The company plans to build 50,000 units of the Tesla Semi in the coming years, and with early adopters like PepsiCo, DHL, and others already contributing millions of miles of data, fleets are going to need reliable public charging.
🚨 Pilot working with Tesla to install and expand Semi Chargers is a perfect example of two industry leaders working together for the greater good.
As more commerce companies expand into EVs, Semi Charger will be more commonly available for electrified fleets, making efforts… pic.twitter.com/VPLIYyq15b
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 27, 2026
Tesla is partnering with other companies for the development of the Semi program, most notably, a conglomeration with Uber was announced last year.
Tesla lands new partnership with Uber as Semi takes center stage
The ride-sharing platform plans to launch the Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program, which it calls a “first-of-its-kind buyer’s program designed to make electric freight more affordable and accessible by addressing key adoption barriers.”
The Semi is one of several projects that will take Tesla into a completely different realm. Along with Optimus and its growing Energy division, the Semi will expand Tesla to new heights, and its prioritization of charging infrastructure.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Boring Company opens Vegas Loop’s newest station
The Fontainebleau is the latest resort on the Las Vegas Strip to embrace the tunneling startup’s underground transportation system.
Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, The Boring Company, has welcomed its newest Vegas Loop station at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The Fontainebleau is the latest resort on the Las Vegas Strip to embrace the tunneling startup’s underground transportation system.
Fontainebleau Loop station
The new Vegas Loop station is located on level V-1 of the Fontainebleau’s south valet area, as noted in a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. According to the resort, guests will be able to travel free of charge to the stations serving the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as to Loop stations in Encore and Westgate.
The Fontainebleau station connects to the Riviera Station, which is located in the northwest parking lot of the convention center’s West Hall. From there, passengers will be able to access the greater Vegas Loop.
Vegas Loop expansion
In December, The Boring Company began offering Vegas Loop rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport. Those trips include a limited above-ground segment, following approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority to allow surface street travel tied to Loop operations.
Under the approval, airport rides are limited to no more than four miles of surface street travel, and each trip must include a tunnel segment. The Vegas Loop currently includes more than 10 miles of tunnels. From this number, about four miles of tunnels are operational.
The Boring Company President Steve Davis previously told the Review-Journal that the University Center Loop segment, which is currently under construction, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. That extension would allow Loop vehicles to travel beneath Paradise Road between the convention center and the airport, with a planned station located just north of Tropicana Avenue.
News
Tesla leases new 108k-sq ft R&D facility near Fremont Factory
The lease adds to Tesla’s presence near its primary California manufacturing hub as the company continues investing in autonomy and artificial intelligence.
Tesla has expanded its footprint near its Fremont Factory by leasing a 108,000-square-foot R&D facility in the East Bay.
The lease adds to Tesla’s presence near its primary California manufacturing hub as the company continues investing in autonomy and artificial intelligence.
A new Fremont lease
Tesla will occupy the entire building at 45401 Research Ave. in Fremont, as per real estate services firm Colliers. The transaction stands as the second-largest R&D lease of the fourth quarter, trailing only a roughly 115,000-square-foot transaction by Figure AI in San Jose.
As noted in a Silicon Valley Business Journal report, Tesla’s new Fremont lease was completed with landlord Lincoln Property Co., which owns the facility. Colliers stated that Tesla’s Fremont expansion reflects continued demand from established technology companies that are seeking space for engineering, testing, and specialized manufacturing.
Tesla has not disclosed which of its business units will be occupying the building, though Colliers has described the property as suitable for office and R&D functions. Tesla has not issued a comment about its new Fremont lease as of writing.
AI investments
Silicon Valley remains a key region for automakers as vehicles increasingly rely on software, artificial intelligence, and advanced electronics. Erin Keating, senior director of economics and industry insights at Cox Automotive, has stated that Tesla is among the most aggressive auto companies when it comes to software-driven vehicle development.
Other automakers have also expanded their presence in the area. Rivian operates an autonomy and core technology hub in Palo Alto, while GM maintains an AI center of excellence in Mountain View. Toyota is also relocating its software and autonomy unit to a newly upgraded property in Santa Clara.
Despite these expansions, Colliers has noted that Silicon Valley posted nearly 444,000 square feet of net occupancy losses in Q4 2025, pushing overall vacancy to 11.2%.
Tesla lands massive deal to expand charging for heavy-duty electric trucks
Elon Musk’s Boring Company opens Vegas Loop’s newest station
