

News
SpaceX readies 4th Falcon 9 booster for 10th launch and landing [webcast]
Update: SpaceX has delayed Starlink 4-6 and Falcon 9 B1060’s tenth launch and landing to a backup window scheduled no earlier than (NET) 9:02 pm EST, Tuesday, January 18th (02:04 UTC 19 Jan).
Initially aiming for January 17th, SpaceX pushed the mission to 7:04 pm EST, January 18th for “more favorable weather conditions for liftoff and booster recovery.” A backup window two hours later on the same day was likely selected for similar reasons. Tune in around 8:45 pm EST (01:45 UTC) to watch Falcon 9 B1060’s tenth launch and landing attempt live.
Four days after Falcon 9 B1058 became the third SpaceX booster to complete ten orbital-class launches, the company is set to repeat the feat a fourth time.
Unofficially revealed by airspace and maritime safety alerts on January 12th, SpaceX has confirmed plans to launch Starlink 4-6 – another batch of 49 laser-linked V1.5 satellites – no earlier than (NET) 7:26 pm EST, Monday, January 17th (00:26 UTC 18 Jan) from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. The same pad supported an identical launch (Starlink 4-5) on January 6th, requiring a brisk 11-day turnaround for a pad that’s all-time record is two Falcon launches in 10 days.
While technically “just” another Starlink launch, the mission will mark the first time two Falcon 9 boosters have launched for the tenth time back to back. On January 13th, Falcon 9 B1058 helped deliver 105 small rideshare satellites to orbit, completing its tenth successful launch and landing in the process. While there are only two other ten-flight boosters to compare against, B1058 crossed the milestone more than a third faster than either of its siblings, launching ten times in 19 months or once every ~59 days for the duration of its life.

When Falcon 9 B1060 lifts off with Starlink 4-6 on January 17th, 2022, it will do so in 18 months (~81 weeks), beating B1058’s days-old record (19 months or ~85 weeks) by about a month. Though there are several younger, less-flown boosters in SpaceX’s current Falcon fleet, none of them appear to be on track to more than marginally beat or match the records about to be set by B1058 and B1060. Based on SpaceX’s twice-achieved 27-day Falcon 9 turnaround record, it might technically be possible for the same booster to complete 10 launches in as few as 270 days (~39 weeks), employees have described those record turnarounds as “a mad rush” – probably not a sustainable pace for the current workforce, in other words.
Nonetheless, even if evidence continues to grow that the current iteration of Falcon Block 5 boosters are unlikely to average more than one launch every 50-60 days over their lives, SpaceX could still theoretically achieve an eyewatering launch cadence. For example, if SpaceX’s current fleet of nine operational Falcon boosters (including one converted Falcon Heavy core) can each achieve an average of one launch every 60 days starting now, SpaceX could feasibly launch more than once per week or ~54 times per year. If SpaceX also converts Falcon Heavy core B1053 into a Falcon 9, damaged Falcon 9 booster B1069 is able to enter the fleet, and the average turnaround time drops to 50 days, that 11-booster fleet could support up to 80 launches per year.


SpaceX’s three Falcon launch pads could theoretically support up to 90 launches per year if every single turnaround was as fast as each pad’s all-time record and no extended downtime was ever needed. In other words, in spite of just how far the Falcon Block 5 design appears to be from CEO Elon Musk’s long-stated dream of daily reuse, a fleet of just 15 Block 5 boosters averaging a conservative 60 days per launch could achieve an annual cadence that would force SpaceX to upgrade its launch pads to go any higher.
With Starship on the horizon, though, it’s no longer clear that SpaceX actually wants to push the Falcon family’s envelope to the point that another round of significant vehicle or pad upgrades are required. Unless Starship suffers catastrophic setbacks causing years of delays, it’s more likely than not that the Falcon family will peak around 60 launches per year (still incredibly impressive) before its likely retirement.
News
‘Tesla tax’ could be no more in United Kingdom
A tax on vehicles in the United Kingdom is set to be adjusted after automakers have blamed it for struggling sales.

A controversial tax set on cars that are above the £40,000 price threshold in the United Kingdom could be abandoned, as the “Tesla Tax,” as it is commonly referred to, is taking the blame for poor EV sales.
The tax has been imposed on ICE vehicles since 2017, but on April 1, 2025, the “Expensive Car Supplement,” or ECS, was applied to new EVs sold after that date, a move that was initiated in an act of fairness.
Tesla best-rated car brand in UK, beats Toyota in reliability: survey
However, the tax is now being blamed for sluggish EV sales across various parts of Europe. In the UK, manufacturers are blaming the tax for making it more difficult to reach sales quantities for binding green car sales targets. Missing these sales goals could cost manufacturers millions or even billions of dollars.
A leaked letter seen by This Is Money and MailOnline shows the UK is ready to reconsider the tax, which is combined with a Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on cars in the second year after they are registered.
The tax could be applied to vehicles at a higher price point, or it could be eliminated altogether. However, Ben Maguire, a Lib Dem MP for one region in the UK, said:
“We will consider raising the threshold for zero-emission cars only at a future fiscal event to make it easier to buy electric cars.”
Several companies said an adjustment to the tax would be “a move in the right direction,” and one of the major new car retailers in the UK said sales targets are “unrealistic” with the tax currently set at where it is.
Even still, without the adjustment, retailers are concerned that EVs are not at a spot where consumers truly can justify them as a purchase. One company said “cost, lack of incentives, and lack of a public charging infrastructure” are the biggest bottlenecks in the adoption of EVs.
News
Tesla’s new Model S and X spotted, but they leave a lot to be desired
The Model S and Model X testing mules spotted by The Kilowatts have few minor visual changes.

Tesla has been hinting for a few months now that the flagship Model S and Model X would be getting some attention in 2025 as the vehicles continue to be sold in extremely low volumes.
Both models seem to be under the knife, especially as their newest versions were spotted in California earlier this week.
However, images of the vehicles seem to show that Tesla is not planning a major overhaul, which begs the question: why even do it in the first place?
Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X
The Model S and Model X are grouped with the Cybertruck in Tesla’s quarterly delivery releases, and Q1 saw just 12,881 units of the three cars delivered. The Cybertruck likely made up the majority of this number, as some outlets reported around 6,400 deliveries of the all-electric pickup in Q1.
This is unconfirmed.
The Model S and Model X have stuck around for “sentimental reasons,” according to CEO Elon Musk, who said back in 2021:
“I mean, they’re very expensive, made in low volume. To be totally frank, we’re continuing to make them more for sentimental reasons than anything else. They’re really of minor importance to the future.”
However, the cars seem to be in need of a serious refresh. As Tesla changed up the exterior aesthetic on both the Model 3 and Model Y, recent images captured of the Model X by The Kilowatts seem to show this is not the strategy with the Model X or Model S:
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) May 22, 2025
As we can see, the overall aesthetic of the X, if this is what Tesla plans to release, has literally no changes from a purely visual standpoint. There is the addition of the front bumper camera, which was first implemented on the Cybercab unveiled in October 2024, and then on the new Model Y this year.
There are some new 20″ wheels, and the interior has been fitted with ambient lighting.
The Model S looked to be relatively the same, other than these few hardware changes, including a rear diffuser on this Plaid that was spotted:
Tesla is definitely doing some things 👀 pic.twitter.com/qchMiAWEoT
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) May 22, 2025
While these changes are welcome and should be beneficial, they don’t seem like they will encourage major sales growth, which might be something Tesla is okay with.
Admitting the two cars are low volume and not contributors to the company’s long-term goals, Musk is likely willing to just upgrade things to make these more compatible and better functioning with the Full Self-Driving suite.
Earlier this year, VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said the S and X were not going anywhere and would get “some love” before the end of 2025:
“Just give it a minute. We’ll get there. The upgrade a couple of years ago was bigger than most people thought in terms of architecture and structure of the car got a lot better, too. But, we’ll give it some love later this year and make sure it gets a little bit…you know, with the stuff we’ve been putting in 3 and Y. Obviously, with 3 and Y, the higher volume stuff, you’ve gotta focus there.”
It seems these strategies have held true — the S and X appear to be getting what the 3 and Y got with the ambient lighting and front bumper camera (at least on the Model Y).
Elon Musk
Tesla set for ‘golden age of autonomous’ as Robotaxi nears, ‘dark chapter’ ends: Wedbush
Tesla is set to win big from the launch of the Robotaxi platform, Wedbush’s Dan Ives said.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is set to kick off its own “golden age of autonomous growth” as its Robotaxi platform nears launch and a “dark chapter” for the company has evidently come to a close, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.
Ives has jostled his price target on Tesla shares a few times already this year, usually switching things up as the market sways and the company’s near-term outlook changes. His price target on Tesla has gone from $550 to $315 to $350 back to $500 this year, with the newest adjustment coming from a note released early on Friday.
🚨 Wedbush’s Dan Ives is raising his price target on Tesla $TSLA from $350 to $500 as the “golden age of autonomous” nears:
“We believe the golden age of autonomous is now on the doorstep for Tesla with the Austin launch next month kicking off this key next chapter of growth for…
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 23, 2025
As CEO Elon Musk has essentially started to dwindle down his commitment to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) altogether, Ives believes that Tesla’s “dark chapter” has come to a close:
“First lets address the elephant in the room…2025 started off as a dark chapter for Musk and Tesla as Elon’s role in the Trump Administration and DOGE created a life of its own which created brand damage and a black cloud over the story….but importantly those days are in the rear-view mirror as we are now seeing a recommitted Musk leading Tesla as CEO into this autonomous and robotics future ahead with his days in the White House now essentially over.”
Ives believes Tesla’s launch of Robotaxi should be the company’s way to unlock at least $1 trillion in value alone, especially as the Trump White House will fast-track the key initiatives the automaker needs to get things moving in the right direction:
“The $1 trillion of AI valuation will start to get unlocked in the Tesla story and we believe the march to a $2 trillion valuation for TSLA over the next 12 to 18 months has now begun in our view with FSD and autonomous penetration of Tesla’s installed base and the acceleration of Cybercab in the US representing the golden goose.”
There are some concerns moving forward, but none of which relate to the AI/autonomous play that Ives primarily focuses on within the Friday note. Instead, they are related to demand in both Europe and Asia, as Ives said, “there is still wood to chop to turn around Model Y growth” in both of those markets.
Nevertheless, the big focus for Ives is evidently the launch of Robotaxi and the potential of the entire autonomous division that Tesla plans to offer as a ride-sharing service in the coming months. Ives also believes a 50 percent or more penetration of Full Self-Driving could totally transform the financial model and margins of Tesla moving ahead.
Aware of the setbacks Tesla could encounter, Ives still believes that Tesla will establish itself as “the true autonomous winner over” and that investors will recognize the AI vision the company has been so bullish on.
Ives pushed his price target to $500. Tesla shares are down just under 1% at the time of publication. They are trading at $337.88 at 11:45 on the East Coast.
-
News3 days ago
Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
Tesla seems to have fixed one of Full Self-Driving’s most annoying features
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla Semi gets new adoptee in latest sighting
-
News2 weeks ago
Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla vs China on the final frontier in humanoid robot development
-
Lifestyle2 weeks ago
Tesla Cybertruck takes a bump from epic failing Dodge Charger
-
Investor's Corner2 weeks ago
Tesla (TSLA) poised to hit $1 trillion valuation again amid reports of Trump China deal
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla gets new information request from NHTSA on Robotaxi rollout