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SpaceX Falcon 9 greeted by iconic Florida sunset after first rocket landing of the decade
After completing its fourth flawless orbital-class launch and landing in 16 months, SpaceX’s latest reusable Falcon 9 rocket has successfully returned to dry land and was greeted by a spectacular Florida sunset during its port arrival.
Safely secured aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) by SpaceX’s famous Octagrabber robot, which uses claws its tank-like heft to physically hold the rocket down, Falcon 9 booster B1049 passed through the mouth of Port Canaveral on January 9th. This effectively marked the end of its third drone ship recovery and fourth landing overall since its orbital-class launch debut in September 2018, averaging a SpaceX launch every four months.
B1049.4 supported SpaceX’s second launch of upgraded Starlink v1.0 communications satellites and the 60 spacecraft it helped send to orbit almost certainly catapulted the company into the position of owning the world’s largest private satellite constellation – now measuring some 175 operational spacecraft strong. Those 60 new Starlink satellites have since deployed their solar arrays, performed basic systems checkouts, activated their krypton-fueled ion thrusters, and begun raising their orbits to around 350 km (220 mi). After arriving at 350 km, SpaceX will carefully analyze the performance of each satellite and send all healthy spacecraft to their final operational altitude of 550 km (340 mi).
Teslarati photographer Richard Angle was present for both sides of Falcon 9 B1049’s fourth orbital-class launch and landing, capturing the booster’s January 6th liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 (CCAFS LC-40) and its January 9th Port Canaveral arrival aboard drone ship OCISLY. Given the spectacular Florida sunset that greeted the rocket, B1049 clearly has a preferred color palette – fire.
Falcon 9 B1049 is powered by nine Merlin 1D engines capable of burning liquid oxygen and refined kerosene (RP-1) to produce a maximum thrust of 7600 kN (1.7 million lbf), giving it a thrust to weight ratio of more than 1.4 even when fully loaded with some 525 metric tons (1.2 million lb) of propellant.
According to SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk, Falcon 9’s newest Block 5 boosters – debuted in May 2018 and expected to be the last major upgrade to the family – are designed to be capable of at least 10 orbital-class launches each. A step further, they could potentially be able to perform dozens of missions before retirement is unavoidable, although that would reportedly require the same sort of in-depth overhauls that are routine for modern airliners. Regardless of SpaceX’s aspirations of 10-100 flights per booster, the company is making great progress but undeniably has a long ways to go.
Still, it’s not actually as long as it may seem. On January 6th, Falcon 9 B1049 became the second SpaceX booster to successfully launch four times, following in the footsteps of B1048’s record-breaking fourth flight – completed in November 2019. Now in possession of two consecutively-built Falcon 9 boosters with four flights under each of their belts, SpaceX should be able to quickly determine whether its fleet of reusable rockets can be trusted with four launches (and more).
Additionally, after two months for technicians and engineers to inspect and repair the booster, B1048 could be ready for its fifth launch far sooner than later. SpaceX wrapped up B1049’s fourth post-recovery processing on January 13th – a relatively brisk three and a half days from port arrival to horizontal transport. The booster was moved to one of SpaceX’s many Cape Canaveral hangars, where – just like B1048 – it will be inspected, refurbished, and turned around for its fifth launch sometime in the near future.
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Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
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.
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
