News
SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare launch to send a commercial lander to the Moon in 2019
According to a press release published on September 11 in conjunction with the 2018 World Satellite Business Week conference, satellite rideshare organizer Spaceflight Industries and SpaceX are on track for the first functionally dedicated rideshare mission to a relatively high-energy geostationary transfer orbit.
Expected to occur as soon as early 2019, Spaceflight has arranged the addition of “several undisclosed payloads” but was able to confirm that Israel-based company SpaceIL’s lunar lander spacecraft – deemed Sparrow – will be onboard Falcon 9 come launch, potentially paving the way for the first-ever commercial spacecraft landing on an extraterrestrial planet (or moon).
Did you hear? We're offering rideshare to GTO/GSO now. https://t.co/s5i9brlSqz
— Spaceflight (@SpaceflightInc) September 11, 2018
A bit more than “Uber for space”
Although any rocket or satellite launch on its own is already a sort of wildly complex symphony, rideshare missions – potentially carrying dozens of individual satellites – up the intensity by a significant degree, demanding magnitudes more separation events (i.e. satellite deployments), a labyrinth-like hell for the payload organizer tasked with herding dozens of distinct spacecraft into one payload fairing come launch time, and often multiple orbit drop-off points.
Still, at the cost of some amount of added risk (of both failures and launch delays) and less flexibility to pick and choose orbits, rideshare customers are granted launch prices that should – in theory – be fundamentally unbeatable with dedicated launches, using an entire rocket for no more than a handful of payloads. Intriguingly, at least in the case of Spaceflight Industry’s first organized rideshare to geostationary orbit, Falcon 9’s capabilities are truly unbeatable at SI’s cost per customer, thanks to the reality that such a high-energy orbit is functionally unreachable to the array of dedicated smallsat rockets with purportedly imminent commercial launch debuts (Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, Vector, and others).
Watch us assemble our payload stack for #SSO-A in just over a minute: pic.twitter.com/UFXAKWkNy1
— Spaceflight (@SpaceflightInc) October 4, 2017
Even more intriguingly, it appears that this rideshare will go so far as to offer a ride to a true, circular geostationary orbit for a few copassengers, versus the highly-elliptical parking orbit Falcon 9 will place the whole payload stack in. It has yet to be specifically confirmed what the primary (heaviest) payload will be for this inaugural geostationary rideshare, but nearly all available signs are pointing towards a fairly large (5000 kilogram) communications satellite built by Space Systems Loral (SSL). Further, the satellite itself will serve as the mode of transportation to carry a number of copassenger spacecraft from SpaceX’s geostationary transfer orbit to the final circular orbit roughly 22,500 mi (~36,000 km) above Earth’s surface.
Satellite rideshares, brought to you by the US military?
The story deepens further still. All available signs also suggest a high probability that this launch will become one of SSL’s first operational uses of a currently-experimental rideshare plan known as PODS, in which fairly small satellites would quite literally piggyback on large, commercial satellites into exotic and high-energy orbits, far beyond the low Earth orbits primarily available to rideshare payloads. This could open a whole new world of affordable, cubesat-style exploration, ranging from student-led missions with unprecedented reach to fleets of NASA-funded scientific smallsats, and perhaps even self-propelled interplanetary cubesats once miniature propulsion is available.
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- An SSL graphic explains the company’s PODS technology. (SSL)
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- This condensed User’s Guide lists the basics of PODS ridesharing. (SSL)
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- Falcon 9 B1049 lifts off from SpaceX’s LC-40 pad on September 10, producing more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust.(Tom Cross)
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- Falcon 9 Block 5 will be absolutely critical to the success (and even the basic completion) of Starlink. (Tom Cross)
Funded and sponsored to some extent by US military research agency DARPA, it just so happens that an SSL-built satellite launched by SpaceX six months ago – Hispasat 30W-6, March 2018 – successfully debuted that PODS rideshare technology in an experimental test, deploying a secret secondary satellite funded by DARPA. That success has apparently paved the way for future PODS rideshares, and it looks like SSL may be opting to contract out the specialized task of manifesting launches and wrangling multiple copassenger satellites to Spaceflight Industries.
The primary SSL-built spacecraft, likely Indonesia’s PSN-6 geostationary communications satellite, is expected to weigh approximately 5000 kg (~11,000 lb), while SpaceIL’s commercial Sparrow lunar lander and spacecraft is currently pegged around 600 kg (1300 lb). Aside from that duo, SSL PODS can support anywhere from one to several satellite deployer add-ons, and each copassenger spacecraft has a mass limit of 90-150 kg (~200-330 lb).
As a consequence, the final mass of those 3+ integrated satellites and their associated payload adapters could easily wind up around 6500-7000 kg, a payload SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket has proven itself capable of handling (Telstar 18V and 19V), but only to a fairly low-energy geostationary transfer orbit (18,000 km vs. a full GTO’s 36,000 km apogee). It’s unclear how SpaceIL’s Sparrow lunar lander would handle a relatively low-energy insertion orbit, although the PSN-6 communications satellite would certainly be able to make up for the shortfall with its own propellant supply and rocket engines.
Prior to this geostationary rideshare, SpaceX and Spaceflight Industry’s first mission together – a rideshare of ~70 satellites to low Earth orbit – is expected to occur no earlier than October or November 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
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Elon Musk
SpaceX files confidentially for IPO that will rewrite the record books
SpaceX files confidentially for a record-breaking IPO targeting a $1.75T valuation and $80B raise, driven by Starlink growth and its xAI merger.
Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company submitted its draft registration to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today for an initial public offering, targeting June at a $1.75 trillion valuation. This would be the largest in history.
SpaceX has filed confidentially with the SEC, first reported by Bloomberg. SpaceX would be valued above every S&P 500 company except Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon.
The filing uses a confidential process that allows companies to work through SEC disclosures privately before initiating a public roadshow. With a June target, official details through a formal prospectus is expected to go public in April or early May, after which SpaceX must wait at least 15 days before beginning investor marketing.
While SpaceX is best known for its Falcon 9 and Starship rockets, the $1.75 trillion valuation is anchored by Starlink, its satellite internet service. Starlink ended 2025 with 9.2 million subscribers and over $10 billion in revenue, which is a figure analysts project could reach a staggering $24 billion by the end of 2026. A February all-stock merger with xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, further boosted the valuation.
SpaceX officially acquires xAI, merging rockets with AI expertise
Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley are lined up as senior underwriters. SpaceX is also considering a dual-class share structure to preserve insider voting control, and plans to allocate up to 30% of shares to retail investors, which is roughly three times the typical norm.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk hints at “official ceremony” with throwback photo to close Tesla Model S, Model X chapter
Elon Musk promises an official ceremony to mark the end of Tesla Model S and Model X production.
Tesla has officially begun winding down production of the Model S and Model X, sending farewell emails to U.S. customers on March 27 and updating the website to reflect the end of the line. Shoppers visiting Tesla.com now find only a limited set of Model S and Model X inventory units available for purchase, with no option to configure a new factory build. The move formalizes what CEO Elon Musk announced on the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call in January, when he said it was “time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge.”
Musk posted on X a throwback photo of himself speaking at the Model S production launch in 2012, and noting “We will have an official ceremony to mark the ending of an era. I love those cars.”
The mention of an official ceremony is notable. Tesla has not held a formal farewell event for a vehicle before, and Musk’s wording suggests this will be something deliberate rather than a quiet line shutdown. Given that Musk’s X post shows a photo of him on stage with a microphone in front of an audience at the Fremont factory, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to expect a closing ceremony to take place at the same location. Perhaps? Whether it becomes a public event, a private gathering for employees, or a livestreamed moment on X remains to be seen.
Custom orders of the Tesla Model S & X have come to an end. All that’s left are some in inventory.
We will have an official ceremony to mark the ending of an era. I love those cars.
This was me at production launch 14 years ago: pic.twitter.com/6kvCf9HTHc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2026
The Model S first went on sale nearly fifteen years ago and was Tesla’s first fully in-house designed vehicle, proving that an electric car could be fast, desirable, and capable of long distance on a single charge. The Model X followed in 2015, turning heads with its unmistakable and distinctive falcon-wing doors, while becoming one of the first all-electric SUVs on the market. Tesla’s two flagship vehicles would ultimately push legacy automakers to take all-electric transportation seriously and help fund development of the more affordable Model 3 and Model Y.
By 2025, however, both models had been reduced to a rounding error in Tesla’s sales figures. Musk was direct about what comes next, stating “We are going to convert that production space to an Optimus factory. It’s part of our overall shift to an autonomous future.”
Elon Musk’s $10 Trillion robot: Inside Tesla’s push to mass produce Optimus
That shift is already underway. Tesla officially started Optimus Gen 3 production at its Fremont factory in January 2026, with the line targeting a run rate of one million units per year. The Gen 3 robot features 22 degrees of freedom per hand, runs on Tesla’s AI5 chip, and shares the same neural network architecture as Full Self-Driving. A dedicated Optimus factory at Gigafactory Texas is also under construction, with a planned annual capacity of 10 million units. The production lines that once built the Model S and Model X are being converted to support that ramp.
Tesla confirmed it will continue to support existing owners with service, software updates, and parts for as long as people own the vehicles. For buyers still interested in a new example, remaining U.S. inventory is discounted and the window is closing fast.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk announces disappointing Tesla Optimus update
In a post on X on March 31, Musk stated that Optimus 3 is mobile but requires some finishing touches before it is ready to be shown to the world. This update comes on the final day of the first quarter, a period when Tesla had previously signaled expectations for a Gen 3 reveal.
Elon Musk announced a disappointing update to the unveiling of Tesla Optimus and its third-generation iteration, missing a timeline it aimed to hit in the first quarter of the year.
Musk has confirmed that the highly anticipated Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot is already walking around and operational, yet the public unveiling will face a short delay as the company applies final refinements.
In a post on X on March 31, Musk stated that Optimus 3 is mobile but requires some finishing touches before it is ready to be shown to the world. This update comes on the final day of the first quarter, a period when Tesla had previously signaled expectations for a Gen 3 reveal.
Optimus 3 is walking around, but needs some finishing touches before it’s ready to be shown
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2026
The announcement follows reports of Optimus Gen 3 appearing at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles, where it was observed serving and moving about until sunset. Images and videos shared by observers captured the robot in action, highlighting its progress in real-world mobility.
Tesla had aimed to showcase the production intent version of Optimus Gen 3 during the first quarter of 2026, positioning it as a major step toward factory deployment and eventual commercial availability. Musk has described the robot as featuring advanced capabilities, including highly dexterous hands with significant degrees of freedom, powered by Tesla’s AI systems for complex tasks.
This minor postponement aligns with Tesla’s iterative approach to development. Earlier statements from Musk indicated that Gen 3 would represent the most advanced humanoid robot yet, designed primarily for internal factory use before scaling to external customers.
Elon Musk’s $10 Trillion robot: Inside Tesla’s push to mass produce Optimus
Production timelines point toward low-volume output starting in the summer of 2026, with volume ramp-up targeted for 2027. The delay underscores the company’s commitment to quality over speed, ensuring the robot meets rigorous standards for safety and performance in practical environments.
Optimus represents a cornerstone of Tesla’s long-term vision beyond electric vehicles. Musk has repeatedly emphasized that successful humanoid robotics could transform industries by addressing labor shortages and enabling new forms of productivity.
Competitors in the space continue to advance their own platforms, yet Tesla’s vertical integration, from custom actuators to end-to-end AI training, positions Optimus as a potential leader. Community reactions on social media range from excitement over visible progress to impatience with shifting timelines, a familiar pattern in Tesla’s innovation journey.
Investors and enthusiasts view Optimus as critical to Tesla’s valuation, potentially surpassing its automotive business in scale. With the robot already demonstrating walking and basic interactions, the finishing touches likely involve software polishing, hardware fine-tuning, and reliability enhancements.
Musk’s update suggests the reveal could arrive in the coming weeks or months, maintaining momentum toward broader deployment.
As Tesla pushes the boundaries of physical artificial intelligence, this latest development keeps Optimus in the spotlight. The company continues to prioritize rapid iteration while delivering on its promises to shareholders and customers. The robotics revolution at Tesla appears closer than ever, promising profound impacts on manufacturing, services, and daily life in the years ahead.
SpaceX files confidentially for IPO that will rewrite the record books
Elon Musk hints at “official ceremony” with throwback photo to close Tesla Model S, Model X chapter
Elon Musk announces disappointing Tesla Optimus update
Elon Musk says Tesla is developing a new vehicle: ‘Way cooler than a minivan’
Elon Musk launches TERAFAB: The $25B Tesla-SpaceXAI chip factory that will rewire the AI industry
