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SpaceX completes Falcon 9 test fire, space station supply mission up next
After almost exactly 15 months of dormancy, SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) came to life with the roar of nine Merlin 1D rocket engines as Falcon 9 1035 conducted its second pre-launch static fire in preparation for the company’s 13th Commercial Resupply Services mission, CRS-13. Previously tasked with the launch of the CRS-11 Cargo Dragon, the booster completed its mission and returned safely to Landing Zone-1 (LZ-1) on June 3 2017. The path towards LC-40’s reactivation has delayed the launch approximately one week, but December 6th’s successful static fire bodes well for the current launch date, 11:46 AM on December 12.
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting launch of CRS-13 on December 12 from Pad 40, followed by launch of Zuma from Pad 40 in early January.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 6, 2017
On September 6 2016, LC-40 was effectively destroyed over the course of the Amos-6 failure. In months that followed, SpaceX reactivated LC-39A in order to continue chipping away at the company’s launch manifest, but also began the slow process of damage assessment and reconstruction of LC-40. It is safe to assume that almost every single component of the ground support equipment (GSE) was completely replaced, and interviews with Cape Canaveral’s 45th Space Wing commander suggest that SpaceX went further still, transforming the painful situation into an opportunity.
In an exclusive and frank conversation between Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith and Florida Today’s Emre Kelly, the commander suggested that extensive design changes and additional hardening measures implemented during reconstruction are expected to make LC-40 exceptionally resilient to the rigors of rocket launches. Most tellingly, if perhaps overly optimistic, Monteith estimated that a second vehicle failure on the order of Amos-6 might only take two months to recover from, compared to the 15 months that followed Amos-6. He attributed this claim to GSE that is now largely buried underground, theoretically protecting the vast apparatus of hand-welded piping necessary to fuel the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The replacement Transporter/Erector/Launcher (TEL) tasked with supporting Falcon 9 during integration and launch also appears to have been modernized, and will likely end up looking quite similar to the monolithic white TEL that resides at LC-39A.
Rocket and spacecraft for CRS-13 are flight-proven. Falcon 9’s first stage previously launched SpaceX’s eleventh resupply mission for @NASA, and Dragon flew to the @Space_Station in support of our sixth cargo resupply mission. pic.twitter.com/RY4F2TrWO2
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 6, 2017
With CRS-13’s static fire now complete, the mission is set to become the fifth operational reuse of a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster in 2017, thanks to NASA’s unusually rapid acceptance of the new practice. Further still, if Iridium-4’s December 22 launch date holds, and it does look to be stable for the moment, SpaceX will rather incredibly have conducted five commercial reuses of a Falcon 9 in its first year of operations, meaning that one third of SpaceX’s 2017 missions will have launched aboard flight-proven boosters. Also impressive is SpaceX’s full-stop move towards the reuse of Cargo Dragon capsules, and the company stated over the summer that it was hoping to almost completely redirect Cargo Dragon’s manufacturing facilities towards Dragon 2, also known as Crew Dragon. This was most recently reiterated several months ago and is presumed to still be the company’s goal moving forward, and CRS-12 is believed to have been the last “new” Cargo Dragon that will fly. CRS-13’s Dragon previously flew the CRS-6 mission in April 2015.
Photos shared privately with the author show CRS-13’s Falcon 9 to be covered in a graceful layer of soot from its previous recovery, similar in appearance to Falcon 9 1021 seen above. (Instagram/bambi_mydear)
In a December 6 tweet, SpaceX further confirmed that the deeply secretive Zuma mission, previously delayed from an early-November launch as a result of concerns about fairing defects, has now been moved from LC-39A to LC-40 and is understood to be targeting January 4 2018. This will give SpaceX approximately three weeks after the launch of CRS-13 to verify that everything is functioning nominally in what is essentially a new pad.
Meanwhile, with Zuma now officially moved to 40, LC-39A is completely free from routine operations, meaning that SpaceX’s ground crew can now work at will to ready the pad for the inaugural launch of Falcon Heavy, now aiming for early 2018. Aside from Falcon Heavy, recent FCC filings point to two additional SpaceX launches aiming for January, although slips are probable in light of CRS-13’s minor delays. Regardless, December and January are likely to be thrilling months for followers of the intrepid space exploration outfit.
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Man credits Grok AI with saving his life after ER missed near-ruptured appendix
The AI flagged some of the man’s symptoms and urged him to return to the ER immediately and demand a CT scan.
A 49-year-old man has stated that xAI’s Grok ended up saving his life when the large language model identified a near-ruptured appendix that his first ER visit dismissed as acid reflux.
After being sent home from the ER, the man asked Grok to analyze his symptoms. The AI flagged some of the man’s symptoms and urged him to return immediately and demand a CT scan. The scan confirmed that something far worse than acid reflux was indeed going on.
Grok spotted what a doctor missed
In a post on Reddit, u/Tykjen noted that for 24 hours straight, he had a constant “razor-blade-level” abdominal pain that forced him into a fetal position. He had no fever or visible signs. He went to the ER, where a doctor pressed his soft belly, prescribed acid blockers, and sent him home.
The acid blockers didn’t work, and the man’s pain remained intense. He then decided to open a year-long chat he had with Grok and listed every detail that he was experiencing. The AI responded quickly. “Grok immediately flagged perforated ulcer or atypical appendicitis, told me the exact red-flag pattern I was describing, and basically said “go back right now and ask for a CT,” the man wrote in his post.
He copied Grok’s reasoning, returned to the ER, and insisted on the scan. The CT scan ultimately showed an inflamed appendix on the verge of rupture. Six hours later, the appendix was out. The man said the pain has completely vanished, and he woke up laughing under anesthesia. He was discharged the next day.
How a late-night conversation with Grok got me to demand the CT scan that saved my life from a ruptured appendix (December 2025)
byu/Tykjen ingrok
AI doctors could very well be welcomed
In the replies to his Reddit post, u/Tykjen further explained that he specifically avoided telling doctors that Grok, an AI, suggested he get a CT scan. “I did not tell them on the second visit that Grok recommended the CT scan. I had to lie. I told them my sister who’s a nurse told me to ask for the scan,” the man wrote.
One commenter noted that the use of AI in medicine will likely be welcomed, stating that “If AI could take doctors’ jobs one day, I will be happy. Doctors just don’t care anymore. It’s all a paycheck.” The Redditor replied with, “Sadly yes. That is what it felt like after the first visit. And the following night could have been my last.”
Elon Musk has been very optimistic about the potential of robots like Tesla Optimus in the medical field. Provided that they are able to achieve human-level articulation in their hands, and Tesla is able to bring down their cost through mass manufacturing, the era of AI-powered medical care could very well be closer than expected.
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Tesla expands Model 3 lineup in Europe with most affordable variant yet
The Model 3 Standard still delivers more than 300 miles of range, potentially making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.
Tesla has introduced a lower-priced Model 3 variant in Europe, expanding the lineup just two months after the vehicle’s U.S. debut. The Model 3 Standard still delivers more than 300 miles (480 km) of range, potentially making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.
Tesla’s pricing strategy
The Model 3 Standard arrives as Tesla contends with declining registrations in several countries across Europe, where sales have not fully offset shifting consumer preferences. Many buyers have turned to options such as Volkswagen’s ID.3 and BYD’s Atto 3, both of which have benefited from aggressive pricing.
By removing select premium finishes and features, Tesla positioned the new Model 3 Standard as an “ultra-low cost of ownership” option of its all-electric sedan. Pricing comes in at €37,970 in Germany, NOK 330,056 in Norway, and SEK 449,990 in Sweden, depending on market. This places the Model 3 Standard well below the “premium” Model 3 trim, which starts at €45,970 in Germany.
Deliveries for the Standard model are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026, giving Tesla an entry-level foothold in a segment that’s increasingly defined by sub-€40,000 offerings.
Tesla’s affordable vehicle push
The low-cost Model 3 follows October’s launch of a similarly positioned Model Y variant, signaling a broader shift in Tesla’s product strategy. While CEO Elon Musk has moved the company toward AI-driven initiatives such as robotaxis and humanoid robots, lower-priced vehicles remain necessary to support the company’s revenue in the near term.
Reports have indicated that Tesla previously abandoned plans for an all-new $25,000 EV, with the company opting to create cheaper versions of existing platforms instead. Analysts have flagged possible cannibalization of higher-margin models, but the move aims to counter an influx of aggressively priced entrants from China and Europe, many of which sell below $30,000. With the new Model 3 Standard, Tesla is reinforcing its volume strategy in Europe’s increasingly competitive EV landscape.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) stuns Germany’s biggest car magazine
FSD Supervised recognized construction zones, braked early for pedestrians, and yielded politely on narrow streets.
Tesla’s upcoming FSD Supervised system, set for a European debut pending regulatory approval, is showing notably refined behavior in real-world testing, including construction zones, pedestrian detection, and lane changes, as per a recent demonstration ride in Berlin.
While the system still required driver oversight, its smooth braking, steering, and decision-making illustrated how far Tesla’s driver-assistance technology has advanced ahead of a potential 2026 rollout.
FSD’s maturity in dense city driving
During the Berlin test ride with Auto Bild, Germany’s largest automotive publication, a Tesla Model 3 running FSD handled complex traffic with minimal intervention, autonomously managing braking, acceleration, steering, and overtaking up to 140 km/h. It recognized construction zones, braked early for pedestrians, and yielded politely on narrow streets.
Only one manual override was required when the system misread a converted one-way route, an example, Tesla stated, of the continuous learning baked into its vision-based architecture.
Robin Hornig of Auto Bild summed up his experience with FSD Supervised with a glowing review of the system. As per the reporter, FSD Supervised already exceeds humans with its all-around vision. “Tesla FSD Supervised sees more than I do. It doesn’t get distracted and never gets tired. I like to think I’m a good driver, but I can’t match this system’s all-around vision. It’s at its best when both work together: my experience and the Tesla’s constant attention,” the journalist wrote.
Tesla FSD in Europe
FSD Supervised is still a driver-assistance system rather than autonomous driving. Still, Auto Bild noted that Tesla’s 360-degree camera suite, constant monitoring, and high computing power mark a sizable leap from earlier iterations. Already active in the U.S., China, and several other regions, the system is currently navigating Europe’s approval pipeline. Tesla has applied for an exemption in the Netherlands, aiming to launch the feature through a free software update as early as February 2026.
What Tesla demonstrated in Berlin mirrors capabilities already common in China and the U.S., where rival automakers have rolled out hands-free or city-navigation systems. Europe, however, remains behind due to a stricter certification environment, though Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for FSD Supervised’s approval in several countries in the region.
Man credits Grok AI with saving his life after ER missed near-ruptured appendix
Tesla expands Model 3 lineup in Europe with most affordable variant yet
