

News
SpaceX set to launch 40 satellites for Starlink rival OneWeb
While SpaceX’s near-term manifest continues to be impacted by an abrupt uptick in unexplained delays, the company appears to be on track to launch the first of at least two batches of satellites for internet provider OneWeb later this week.
SpaceX and OneWeb’s first launch has already missed its original target of November 2022 and its first announced date, December 6th, and OneWeb has now confirmed another 48-hour delay. Barring surprises, SpaceX will launch a batch of 40 OneWeb internet satellites no earlier than (NET) 5:27 pm EST (22:27 UTC) on Thursday, December 8th.
The update that's rolling out to the fleet makes full use of the front and rear steering travel to minimize turning circle. In this case a reduction of 1.6 feet just over the air— Wes (@wmorrill3) April 16, 2024
The unlikely partnership between SpaceX and OneWeb, both in the middle of building and deploying large constellations of internet satellites in low earth orbit (LEO), was far from the latter company’s first choice. In fact, as previously discussed on Teslarati, the only reason OneWeb agreed to launch a small subset of its first-generation satellites on SpaceX rockets was a series of egregious actions from Russia that made the pair’s exclusive arrangement too toxic to continue. In June 2015, just 16 months after Russia illegally invaded Ukraine’s Crimea and Donbas regions, OneWeb chose to tie itself at the hip to the unstable aggressor with a firm $1-1.5 billion contract that committed the entirety of its first satellite constellation to 21 Russian Soyuz rockets.
Technically, OneWeb’s contract was through France’s Arianespace, which held an agreement with the Russian aerospace industry allowing it to purchase and launch Soyuz rockets from a European pad based in French Guiana, South America. But caught up in the same web of European naivety that led several major European nations to double down on their dependence on Russian natural gas after the country’s first destabilizing quasi-invasion of Ukraine, OneWeb and Arianespace still signed a contract that tied both to the assumption that Russian rockets would remain easy to purchase and export for the indefinite future.
OneWeb and Arianespace nearly escaped consequences. But in February 2022, Russia doubled down on eight years of small-scale war and Ukrainian occupation with a full-scale, gloves-off invasion with explicit genocidal intent. Europe eventually responded in part with economic sanctions that Russia did not take kindly to. In response, Russia took a batch of 36 OneWeb satellites hostage, stole the Soyuz rocket OneWeb had already paid for, and killed any possibility of completing the six or seven Soyuz launches left under its Arianespace contract. In September 2022, OneWeb announced that it had written off a loss of $229 million as a result of those stolen satellites and rockets.
All it took for OneWeb to sign launch contracts with SpaceX was the first full-scale ground invasion of a sovereign European nation in decades. Simultaneously, in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency and French satcom provider Eutelsat have both signed last-second contracts that transferred several satellite launches from Arianespace to SpaceX.
Falcon 9’s first OneWeb mission will launch a record 40 of the Starlink competitor’s 150-kilogram (~330 lb) satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), where the satellites will use their own propulsion to climb to operational orbits around 1200 kilometers (~750 mi). The mission – OneWeb’s 15th launch since February 2019 – won’t be the first since Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine, a privilege that fell to the second operational launch of India’s GSLV Mk-III (LVM3) rocket.
A OneWeb executive says that SpaceX will also launch its 16th mission as early as January 2023, leaving its first-generation constellation with 540 of 648 planned satellites in orbit. OneWeb has one more 36-satellite LVM3 launch on contract, indicating that it will likely need two more Falcon 9 launches to complete its constellation.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk teases Tesla Optimus Gen 3 capabilities: ‘So many improvements’
If you thought Optimus Gen 2 was impressive, Tesla might have a surprise for you.

Elon Musk has teased that huge improvements are coming to Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot, which is arguably the product that the company is developing with the most potential for everyday use by consumers and valuation increases from a financial perspective.
Optimus is still in the development stages, but Tesla has made great strides in its development over the past several years. It started as a simple idea that was unveiled with a human being in a spandex suit.
Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet
Just a few years later, Tesla has developed several humanoid robot prototypes that have made their way to influencers and have lent a helping hand around the company’s manufacturing facilities.
Tesla has already introduced two generations of Optimus, as the most recent release featured a vast number of improvements from the initial version.
The following is a list of things Tesla improved upon with Optimus Gen 2 compared to Gen 1:
- Tesla introduced a weight reduction of roughly 22 pounds, improving efficiency and agility
- Optimus Gen 2 had a walking speed that improved by 30 percent over Gen 1
- Tesla developed more capable hands that had 22 degrees of freedom, double that of Gen 1. This improved object handling
- Optimus Gen 2 had a 2-degree-of-freedom neck, as Gen 1’s was fixed
- Tesla integrated actuators and sensors for better performance. This includes things like foot force/torque sensing, articulated toe sections that are close to human foot geometry for better balance and movement
- Optimus Gen 2 has 28 degrees of overall freedom, improving flexibility from the first generation
- Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 can do more than Gen 1, and has shown improved motor control and precision, doing things like squats, yoga poses, dancing, and even poaching an egg
These changes essentially brought Tesla closer to what will be the Optimus version that makes it to production. The company has plans to start production for the public in 2026, but some units will be manufactured for internal use within its factories as soon as this year. Tesla has said it could scale to 100,000 units or more by next year.
Musk also revealed to Teslarati recently that the company is in the process of building the production line that will bring manufacturing rates of Optimus to that level.
However, there is another design of Optimus coming, and Musk says it will feature “so many improvements”:
So many improvements to come in the next design of Optimus
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 18, 2025
Tesla has said that Optimus will have the capability to perform tedious and time-consuming tasks like folding laundry, babysitting, cooking, walking the dog, and plenty of other things. However, it will be super impressive to see it do things that require true coordination, like threading a needle, for example.
Musk did not hint toward any specific developments that Tesla will aim for with Optimus Gen 3, but the sky is the limit, especially as it will be performing some manufacturing tasks across its factories.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk slams Bloomberg’s shocking xAI cash burn claims
Musk stated that “Bloomberg is talking nonsense.”

Elon Musk has forcefully rejected Bloomberg News’ claims that his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is hemorrhaging $1 billion monthly.
In a post on X, Musk stated that “Bloomberg is talking nonsense.” He also acknowledged an X user’s comment that people “really have no idea what’s at stake” with AI.
Bloomberg‘s Allegations and Musk’s Rebuttal
The Bloomberg News report painted a dire picture of xAI’s finances. Citing people reportedly familiar with the matter, the news outlet claimed that xAI burns $1 billion a month as costs for building advanced AI models outpaced the company’s limited revenues.
Bloomberg alleged that xAI is planning to spend over half of a proposed $9.3 billion fundraising haul in three months, with a projected $13 billion loss in 2025. The report also claimed that of the $14 billion that xAI has raised since 2023, only $4 billion remained by Q1 2025. Even this amount, the news outlet alleged, will be nearly depleted in Q2.
xAI did not comment on Bloomberg‘s claims, though Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the matter on social media platform X. In response to an X user who quoted the publication’s article, Musk noted that “Bloomberg is talking nonsense.” Musk, however, did not provide further details as to why the publication’s report was fallacious.
xAI’s Bright Horizon
Despite Bloomberg‘s claims, even the publication noted that xAI’s prospects are promising. The company, now merged with X, aims to leverage the platform’s vast data archives for model training, which could reduce costs compared to rivals like OpenAI. Tapping into X also allows xAI to access real-time information from users across the globe.
xAI’s valuation reportedly soared to $80 billion by Q1 2025, up from $51 billion in 2024. The AI startup has attracted heavyweight investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and VY Capital so far, and optimistic projections point to profitability possibly being attained by 2027. This would be quite a feat for xAI as OpenAI, the AI startup’s biggest rival, is still looking at 2029 as the year it could become cash flow positive.
Elon Musk
xAI supercomputer faces lawsuit over air pollution concerns
NAACP & environmental groups are suing Elon Musk’s xAI over turbine emissions at its Colossus supercomputer site.

The xAI supercomputer, Colossus, faces a potential lawsuit from the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center over pollution concerns tied to its gas-powered turbines. The facility has sparked debate over its environmental impact versus economic benefits.
The xAI data center has been operational since last year. The company used pollution-emitting turbines without an air permit, citing a 364-day exemption. Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Patrick Anderson disputed xAI’s exemption, stating: “there is no such exemption for turbines — and that regardless, it has now been more than 364 days.”
The groups issued a 60-day notice of intent to sue under the Clean Air Act, challenging xAI’s permit application under review by the Shelby County Health Department.
According to AP, critics argue the turbines emit smog, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and formaldehyde, worsening health risks in an area with cancer rates four times the national average.
“The permit itself says emissions from the site ‘will be an area source for hazardous air pollutants,’” the Southern Environmental Law Center noted, alleging Clean Air Act violations.
Opponents claim xAI installed up to 35 turbines—exceeding the 15 requested—without community oversight, straining Memphis’s power grid.
xAI responded: “The temporary power generation units are operating in compliance with all applicable laws.”
The company highlighted its economic contributions, including billions in investments, millions in taxes, and hundreds of jobs. At an April community meeting, xAI’s Brent Mayo underscored that the “tax revenue will support vital programs like public safety, health, human services, education, firefighters, police, parks, and so much more.” He projected that xAI would generate over $100 million in tax revenue by next year. The company is also investing $35 million in a power substation and $80 million in a water recycling plant.
Additionally, xAI is transitioning to sustainable power, particularly Tesla Megapacks. It is actively working on demobilizing the gas turbines.
“The temporary natural gas turbines that were being used to power the [xAI’s] Phase I GPUs prior to grid connection are now being demobilized and will be removed from the site over the next two months,” shared the Greater Memphis Chamber. xAI brought Tesla Megapack batteries and a 150-megawatt substation online earlier this year.
Despite xAI’s expansion to a second 1-million-square-foot site, the lawsuit threat underscores tensions between innovation and environmental justice.
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