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SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy booster arrives in Texas for static fire

Falcon Heavy Flight 3 center core B1057 is pictured here performing a static fire test in 2019. (SpaceX)

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SpaceX’s fourth Falcon Heavy launch continues to inch closer, most recently celebrating what appears to be the arrival of one of three new Falcon Heavy boosters for static fire testing in Texas.

There’s a chance that the booster in question is just a regular Falcon 9 first stage but per photos from local resident Reagan, the unusual presence of a white interstage (the carbon fiber composite section containing grid fins and second stage deployment hardware) implies otherwise.

Following several months of inactivity since the first of three new Falcon Heavy side boosters – ‘disguised’ with a rejected Falcon 9 interstage – arrived at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas test facilities, the latest booster is most likely the second of two new Falcon Heavy side boosters needed for a US military launch later this year.

After departing SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California factory sometime in late August 2020, hardware NASASpaceflight later confirmed to be the first of three new Falcon Heavy boosters went vertical at the company’s McGregor, Texas booster static fire stand around a month later. Oddly, unlike the four other Falcon Heavy side boosters SpaceX has tested over the last several years, this particular core arrived in Texas with a placeholder interstage instead of a telltale nosecone.

Why is unclear given that two previous side boosters were static fired with nosecones installed. Regardless, given that the newest booster entrant’s white interstage does not appear to have any custom center core hardware installed, it’s most likely the second of two Falcon Heavy Flight 4 side boosters.

Falcon Heavy Flight 2. The booster in the middle - B1055 - was effectively sheared in half after tipping over aboard drone ship OCISLY. (Pauline Acalin)
Falcon Heavy Flight 2 readies for launch with three Block 5 boosters; B1052, B1053, and center core B1055. (Pauline Acalin)

If the rocket passes those acceptance tests, that will leave another two stages – a custom center core and orbital upper stage – left to ship and test before SpaceX can say it has all hardware on hand for the triple-booster rocket’s fourth launch. Delayed from Q4 2020 to February 2021 in September 2020, that all-new Falcon Heavy’s first launch is known as AFSPC-44 or USSF-44 and will deliver an unspecified US military satellite and one or more rideshare payloads directly to geostationary orbit (GEO) – a first for SpaceX.

Unless this second side booster is days away from a brisk static fire test and a new Falcon Heavy center core and upper stage are either already at McGregor or days away from departing Hawthorne, a February 2021 launch target is all but impossible.

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Not long after that tentative February 28th launch date was announced, a USAF official did offer an updated target, stating that USSF-44 was now expected to launch in “late spring” – implying (at least in the US) May or June 2021. It’s unclear what’s to blame for the six or more months of delays the mission has suffered in the last year but continued booster testing is a good sign that things are more or less back on track.

Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla Unveils Model Y RWD 110 customized for Singapore

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tesla-model-y-rwd-110-custom-singapore
(Credit: Tesla Singapore)

Tesla unveiled the Model Y RWD 110 for Singapore’s Category A certificate of entitlement (COE) rules. This custom SUV tweaks the updated Model Y, which was launched in Singapore in January.

Tesla tuned the Model 3 RWD 110 for Singapore before, and that customized version’s success spurred this Model Y adaptation. The Model Y RWD 110 runs at 110kW, down from 255kW in the standard RWD. It qualifies for Singapore’s Category A COE, unlike the Model Y 255kW version, which sits in Category B.

Category A COEs are for mass-market cars. They score lower premiums than Category B COEs. BMW and Mercedes-Benz register vehicles as Category A COEs in Singapore as well.

In Singapore, buyers need to pay the COE to register a car. The latest tender showed an SGD 22,388 gap between Category A and B premiums.

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The Model Y RWD 110’s road tax is significantly reduced from SGD 3,478 to SGD 1,562 yearly. The Strait Times calculated that the cheaper Model Y in Singapore would save SGD 19,160 over a 10-year COE.

The Model Y RWD 110 matches the 255kW version otherwise. The more affordable Model Y’s battery size holds steady. Its energy use, equipment, and design stay the same.

Tesla prices the Model Y RWD 110 at SGD 103,476 before COE. The Model Y RWD 110 costs SGD 3,026 less than the 255kW version, excluding COE costs. It uses a 62.5kWh lithium iron phosphate battery.

Tesla has released cheaper versions of its cars before. For instance, it rolled out a more affordable Model 3 in Mexico last year. The cheaper Tesla Model 3 in Mexico did not use the same materials and had different features to reduce costs.

Tesla might consider releasing custom, cheaper versions of its vehicles in other countries. Industry sources in China hint at a “lower-priced Model Y” for the Chinese auto market, which keeps the Juniper’s battery and chassis

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Tesla US Gigafactories shields from Trump’s 25% Tariffs

Tesla US Gigafactories Shielded from Trump’s 25% Tariffs

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

Tesla stocks climbed after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on imported cars and auto parts, standing out in the United States auto industry.

Automaker stocks tanked after President Trump slapped 25% tariffs on foreign autos and parts. Tesla slightly dodged the tariff blow thanks to local production. Its gigafactories in China and Germany don’t supply Tesla vehicles to the United States market. The company builds all U.S.-sold EVs in Fremont, California, or at Giga Austin in Texas.

TD Cowen analyst Itay Michaeli sees the American EV automaker as a winner in Trump’s tariffs games.

“Tesla [is] a relative beneficiary given [its] 100% U.S. production footprint, substantial U.S. sourcing, and with Model Y competing in a midsize crossover segment where close to ~50% of vehicles could be subject to tariffs,” Michaeli wrote on Thursday.

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Rivian and Lucid also make all vehicles sold in the United States domestically. Ford hits 77% U.S. production, while Stellantis sits at 57%. Nissan and GM each clock in at 52%.

Trump’s 25% tariff on non-U.S.-made vehicles kicks in next week, on April 2, 2025. Elon Musk confirmed that Trump’s tariff will still affect Tesla, despite its plants in America.

Musk posted on X about tariff impacts. He said foreign-sourced parts will drive up costs. It’s not a small hit. Tesla warned of this in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative. “Certain parts and components are difficult or impossible to source within the United States,” the letter stated, even with “aggressive localization.”

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Nikola Motor founder Trevor Milton given full pardon by President Trump

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Credit: Nikola Motor

Nikola Motor founder Trevor Milton has been given a full pardon by U.S. President Donald Trump in an unprecedented turn of events.

Trevor Milton Media announced late Thursday that the formerly jailed founder of the all-electric automaker that President Trump had “pledged to end the political weaponization of the Justice Department. This pardon marks a step toward fulfilling that commitment.”

Milton was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2023 after being found guilty of multiple counts of fraud.

Nikola founder Trevor Milton sentenced to four years in prison

“I was not a very seasoned CEO,” Milton said after his sentencing. Questions about the legitimacy of some Nikola product demonstrations and several statements that were found to be misleading regarding the company’s progress on its vehicles brought Milton to U.S. Federal Court to face two counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud.

Now, he is free.

Milton said in a statement:

“This pardon is not just about me—it’s about every American who has been railroaded by the government, and unfortunately, that’s a lot of people. It is no wonder why trust and confidence in the Justice Department has eroded to nothing. I wish judges would stop believing whatever the prosecutors feed them so Americans could trust the justice system again. Until that happens, our justice system will continue to erode until there is nothing left. The 90+% conviction rate in New York is appalling and is a result of prosecutors getting whatever they want and putting innocent people in prison. I saw firsthand the tactics they use to achieve those guaranteed convictions. I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for his courage in standing up for what is right and for granting me this sacred pardon of innocence.”

Milton will now launch a documentary that is available for preview here.

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