News
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rolls to launch pad earlier than usual for next Starlink mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has rolled to the launch pad a full week before the company’s next 60-satellite Starlink launch is scheduled, much earlier than usual compared to all recent Starlink missions.
Thrice-flown Falcon 9 booster B1051 will be supporting the internal SpaceX launch, serving as a partial return-to-flight mission after a Falcon 9 rocket suffered its first in-flight engine failure since 2012 less than a month ago. Recently discussed on Teslarati, prime customer NASA – perhaps just a month away from its first astronaut launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 – has to outwardly worry about the impact of Falcon 9’s March 18th engine failure. Most recently, administrator Jim Bridenstine signaled that SpaceX had already effectively determined the failure mode enough for him to state that it’s “not going to impact our commercial crew launch.”
Likely implying that the engine failure was closely related to the fact that Falcon 9 booster B1048 was on its fifth launch, a first for SpaceX, a successful Starlink launch next week would likely alleviate most remaining customer concerns. Delayed a week from April 16th to 23rd, the rocket’s move to the launch pad indicates that SpaceX may be exerting significantly more caution on this particular Starlink launch, a sign that the company is unsurprisingly prioritizing a fully-successful mission over speed.
Excluding delays, recent SpaceX Starlink launches have seen their Falcon 9 rockets roll out to the launch pad and perform their preflight static fire tests just a few days (or less) before liftoff. To achieve that, SpaceX – for the first time since September 2016 – has begun installing payloads (its own Starlink satellites) on top of Falcon 9 before their static fires. Known as Starlink V1 L6 or Starlink-6 for short, that also remains true for this particular mission – SpaceX’s 6th Starlink launch since November 2019 and 7th launch overall.
Easily visible in Spaceflight Now’s live views of Falcon 9’s roll to the launch pad, the rocket already has a payload fairing – presumably full of 60 Starlink satellites – installed atop its second stage. The fact that SpaceX has rolled the fully-integrated Starlink-6 rocket to the launch pad a full week before its planned liftoff is thus at least a little curious.
The presence of a payload fairing effectively rules out an issue with Starlink satellites as the cause of the delay, while it also makes it much less likely – but not impossible – that any bugs were found in Falcon 9’s first or second stages. Were any such issues discovered, it’s hard to imagine that SpaceX would have chosen to roll the fully-integrated rocket to the launch pad, as any hardware issues would almost certainly require a return to the hangar and some level of disassembly.
As such, the reason for the rocket’s relatively early move to the launch pad is a bit of a mystery. Most likely, as briefly noted, SpaceX is simply taking a more cautious approach to this launch as a result of challenges faced in February and March. The use of Pad 39A – normally dedicated to Falcon Heavy and Crew Dragon launches – also raises the stakes a bit, as a vehicle failure on or around the launch pad would inherently result in major delays to NASA’s critical Commercial Crew Program astronaut launches.
Either way, SpaceX’s Starlink-6 mission is set to be uniquely high-profile. According to launch photographer Ben Cooper, Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch no earlier than 3:16 pm EDT (19:16 UTC) on Thursday, April 23rd. Stay tuned for updates as the rocket approaches its static fire test.
Elon Musk
Tesla bull sees odds rising of Tesla merger after Musk confirms SpaceX-xAI deal
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing chance Tesla could be merged in some form with SpaceX and xAI over the next 12 to 18 months.
A prominent Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bull has stated that the odds are rising that Tesla could eventually merge with SpaceX and xAI, following Elon Musk’s confirmation that the private space company has combined with his artificial intelligence startup.
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing chance Tesla could be merged in some form with SpaceX and xAI over the next 12 to 18 months.
“In our view there is a growing chance that Tesla will eventually be merged in some form into SpaceX/xAI over time. The view is this growing AI ecosystem will focus on Space and Earth together…..and Musk will look to combine forces,” Ives wrote in a post on X.
Ives’ comments followed confirmation from Elon Musk late Monday that SpaceX has merged with xAI. Musk stated that the merger creates a vertically integrated platform that combines AI, rockets, satellite internet, communications, and real-time data.
In a post on SpaceX’s official website, Elon Musk added that the combined company is aimed at enabling space-based AI compute, stating that within two to three years, space could become the lowest-cost environment for generating AI processing power. The transaction reportedly values the combined SpaceX-xAI entity at roughly $1.25 trillion.
Tesla, for its part, has already increased its exposure to xAI, announcing a $2 billion investment in the startup last week in its Q4 and FY 2025 update letter.
While merger speculation has intensified, notable complications could emerge if SpaceX/xAI does merge with Tesla, as noted in a report from Investors Business Daily.
SpaceX holds major U.S. government contracts, including with the Department of Defense and NASA, and xAI’s Grok is being used by the U.S. Department of War. Tesla, for its part, maintains extensive operations in China through Gigafactory Shanghai and its Megapack facility.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk and xAI donate generators to TN amid historic power outages
The donation comes as thousands of households have gone days without electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Elon Musk has donated hundreds of generators to Tennessee residents still without power following a historic winter storm, as per an update from Governor Bill Lee.
The donation comes as thousands of households have gone days without electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Musk donates generators
As noted in a report from WSMV4, the historic storm that hit Tennessee resulted in hundreds of thousands of residents experiencing a power outage at the end of January. Thousands are still living without power or heat in freezing temperatures for up to nine days.
As per TN Gov. Bill Lee in a post on X, Elon Musk and xAI have donated hundreds of generators to assist residents in affected areas. “Tennesseans without power need immediate help. I’m deeply grateful to @elonmusk & @xAI for going above & beyond to support Tennesseans by donating hundreds of generators to fill the gap, & I value their continued partnership to solve problems & support communities across our state,” he wrote in his post.
Tennessee officials have stated that recovery efforts remain ongoing as crews work to restore power and address damage caused by the winter storm. The generators are expected to provide temporary relief for residents facing power outages during freezing conditions.
Tesla Powerwalls may follow
Musk publicly responded to the governor’s post while hinting that additional help may be on the way. This time, the additional support would be coming from Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla.
“You’re most welcome. We’re working on providing Tesla Powerwalls too,” Musk wrote in his response to the official.
Even before Elon Musk’s comment, Tesla had already extended help to affected customers in Mississippi and Tennessee. In a post on X, the official Tesla Charging account noted that all Superchargers in the two states are online, and free Supercharging has been enabled to help those in areas that are affected by persistent power outages.
These include Grenada, Tupelo, Corinth, Southhaven, and Horn Lake in Mississippi and several Supercharging sites in Memphis, Tennessee.
News
Tesla-inspired door handles prohibited under China’s new safety standard
The rule effectively ends a design trend pioneered by Tesla and widely adopted across China’s electric vehicle market.
China will ban hidden door handles on electric vehicles starting 2027 under a new national safety standard, forcing automakers to equip their cars with mechanical exterior and interior handles.
The rule effectively ends a design trend pioneered by Tesla and widely adopted across China’s electric vehicle market.
China bans hidden door handles
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) noted that the new mandatory national auto safety standard on EV door handles will take effect on January 1, 2027. For models that have already received approval and are scheduled for launch, automakers will be allowed to complete required design changes by January 2029.
Under the new rules, exterior door handles must remain operable even in scenarios involving irreversible restraint system failures or thermal runaway incidents in the battery pack. Doors must also be capable of opening even if the vehicle loses electrical power. Interior doors must include at least one independent mechanical release handle per door as well.
Safety concerns drive rollback
Hidden and electrically actuated door handles have become mainstream in recent years as EV makers pursued cleaner styling and improved aerodynamics. Tesla pioneered the hidden handle design, and it was adopted by most Chinese EV manufacturers in either fully hidden or semi-hidden forms, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Today, about 60% of top-selling EVs in China use the design.
Chinese regulators have stated that the designs pose safety risks, particularly in crashes or power failures where doors may not open from the inside or outside. Authorities cited multiple fatal incidents in which occupants or rescuers were unable to open vehicle doors after collisions.
One high-profile case occurred last October, when a Xiaomi SU7, a vehicle designed to be a competitor to the Tesla Model 3, caught fire following a crash in Chengdu in southwest China. The driver died after bystanders were unable to open the doors. The incident sparked intense scrutiny over the SU7’s Tesla-inspired door handles.
Tesla bull sees odds rising of Tesla merger after Musk confirms SpaceX-xAI deal
Elon Musk and xAI donate generators to TN amid historic power outages
