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SpaceX’s NASA Falcon Heavy launch debut a step closer as interplanetary payload powers up

SpaceX's first dedicated Falcon Heavy launch for NASA is a step closer after the asteroid-exploring payload was powered on for the first time. (SpaceX)

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Maxar Technologies says it’s powered on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft for the first time, pushing the asteroid explorer a step closer to the space agency’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch debut.

Despite the many challenges and disruptions posed by the global coronavirus pandemic, Psyche principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton recently noted that the mission to the spacecraft’s namesake metallic asteroid (16 Psyche) remains on track for a narrow 20-day launch window beginning on August 6th, 2022.

Back in May 2020, Psyche passed a crucial Critical Design Review (CDR), in which every single spacecraft system and subsystem are analyzed to ensure they are meeting technical and programmatic expectations. Another Mission System Critical Design Review was completed in late October. Now, contractor Maxar says it has powered on the commercial satellite bus at the heart of the Psyche spacecraft for the first time as NASA and JPL teams speed towards a crucial January 2021 milestone.

The heart of NASA’s Psyche asteroid explorer was successfully powered on for the first time earlier this month. (Maxar)

Expected to cost approximately $970 million including a relatively relatively affordable $117 million SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch contract, Psyche represents a fairly unique approach to deep space exploration, leaning on commercial off-the-shelf hardware and services as much as possible. To that end, the satellite ‘bus’ – essentially the brain and structural and propulsive backbone of the spacecraft – is moderately tweaked version of Maxar’s SSL 1300 design, proven over some four decades of continuous spaceflight and more than 100 completed satellites.

Maxar’s power-on milestone keeps Psyche on track for a January 2021 “Systems Integration Review” in which all mission partners will convene to determine whether dozens of different systems are ready to be assembled into a completed spacecraft. If successful, NASA, JPL, and Maxar will kick off an ~18-month period of spacecraft assembly and testing, installing dozens of major and minor systems inside and around the satellite bus Maxar powered on earlier this month.

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Psyche will mark the first use of electric Hall Effect ion thrusters beyond the Earth-Moon system and will also feature one of the first operational tests of laser-based communications in deep space, potentially allowing far more data to be returned to Earth.

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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Elon Musk

Elon Musk hints what Tesla’s new vehicle will be

After Musk’s post earlier this week, many considered the possibility that the Tesla CEO was potentially talking about the Roadster, which is slated for an unveiling (again) next month. Some considered the possibility of the Robovan, which was unveiled back in 2024.

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Credit: Grok

Elon Musk hinted at what Tesla’s new vehicle will be just a day or so after he essentially confirmed the company is developing something that will eventually be available for consumers.

Earlier this week, Musk said that something “way cooler than a minivan” was on the way from Tesla after a fan posted on X that the company needed to build something for larger families. Requesting this type of vehicle has been a move of many Tesla fans over the years, but now, the urgency is even higher for this type of car because of the company’s decision to sunset the Model X.

Following reports of Musk’s plans to build something that will be cooler than a minivan, speculation consisted of what could possibly be on the way.

Tesla has teased a CyberSUV for quite a while, and there were even some clay models built by the company that were strategically placed in a promotional video.

After Musk’s post earlier this week, many considered the possibility that the Tesla CEO was potentially talking about the Roadster, which is slated for an unveiling (again) next month. Some considered the possibility of the Robovan, which was unveiled back in 2024.

However, a new post from Musk seems to indicate that it will be a new project altogether. After one follower of Musk’s said:

“If Tesla makes a car with 3 rows of seats, each with its own pair of doors so nobody has to climb over anybody else to get to their seat, they will create a baby boom the likes of which we haven’t seen in 80 years.”

Musk’s reply was simple but definitely shed more insight into the company’s plans, as he said:

“Noted.”

Musk’s simple one-word answer might be enough to essentially expect something large, like a full-sized SUV. This would be an incredible addition to the Tesla lineup, especially as the Model X is going away.

Even the Model X is not quite big enough, and not comparable to vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe, so a three-row, six-door SUV might be exactly what Tesla fans want.

It certainly does not sound like Tesla is planning to launch the Model Y L in the U.S., at least not exclusively, or use that car, which is currently built in China, to solve the needs of a larger family.

Tesla gives big hint that it will build Cyber SUV, smaller Cybertruck

It seems the time has certainly come for Tesla to answer the call of what consumers want. This has long been requested, and although the company’s sights are ultimately set on achieving full autonomy, there is still a need for larger families, and a full-size SUV could be a great addition for Tesla as it moves into the second quarter of 2026.

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Energy

Tesla’s newest “Folding V4 Superchargers” are key to its most aggressive expansion yet

Tesla’s folding V4 Supercharger ships 33% more per truck, cuts deployment time and cost significantly.

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Tesla V4 Supercharger installation ramping in Europe

Tesla is rolling out a folding V4 Supercharger design, an engineering change that allows 33% more units to fit on a single delivery truck, cuts deployment time in half, and reduces overall installation cost by roughly 20%.

The folding mechanism addresses one of the least glamorous but most consequential bottlenecks in charging infrastructure: getting hardware from factory floor to job site efficiently. By collapsing the form factor for transit and unfolding into an operational configuration on arrival, the new design dramatically reduces the logistics overhead that has historically slowed Supercharger rollouts, particularly at large or remote sites where multiple units are needed simultaneously.

The timing aligns with a broader acceleration in Tesla’s network strategy. In March 2026, Tesla’s Gigafactory New York produced its final V3 Supercharger cabinet after more than seven years and 15,000 units, pivoting entirely to V4 cabinet production. The V4 cabinet itself is already a generational leap, delivering up to 500 kW per stall for passenger vehicles and up to 1.2 MW for the Tesla Semi, while supporting twice the stalls per cabinet at three times the power density of its predecessor. The folding transport innovation layers logistical efficiency on top of that technical foundation.

Tesla launches first ‘true’ East Coast V4 Supercharger: here’s what that means

Tesla Charging’s Director Max de Zegher, commenting on the V4 cabinet when it launched, captured the operational philosophy behind these changes: “Posts can peak up to 500kW for cars, but we need less than 1MW across 8 posts to deliver maximum power to cars 99% of the time.” The design philosophy has always been about maximizing real-world throughput, not just peak specs, and the folding transport upgrade extends that thinking into the supply chain itself.

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Elon Musk

The Boring Company clears final Nashville hurdle: Music City loop is full speed ahead

The Boring Company has cleared its final Nashville hurdles, putting the Music City Loop on track for 2026.

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The Boring Company has cleared one of its most significant regulatory milestones yet, securing a key easement from the Music City Center in Nashville just days ago, the latest in a series of approvals that have pushed the Music City Loop project firmly into construction reality.

On March 24, 2026, the Convention Center Authority voted to grant The Boring Company access to an easement along the west side of the Music City Center property, allowing tunneling beneath the privately owned venue. The move follows a unanimous 7-0 vote by the Metro Nashville Airport Authority on February 18, and a joint state and federal approval from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration on February 25. Together, these green lights have cleared the path for a roughly 10-mile underground tunnel connecting downtown Nashville to Nashville International Airport, with potential extensions into midtown along West End Avenue.

Music City Loop could highlight The Boring Company’s real disruption

Nashville was selected by The Boring Company largely because of its rapid population growth and the strain that growth has placed on surface infrastructure. Traffic has become a persistent problem for residents, convention visitors, and airport travelers alike. The Music City Loop promises an approximately 8-minute underground transit time between downtown and the Nashville International Airport (BNA), removing thousands of vehicles from surface roads daily while operating as a fully electric, zero-emissions system at no cost to taxpayers.

The project fits squarely within a broader vision Musk has championed for years. In responding to a breakdown of the Loop’s construction costs, Musk posted on X: “Tunnels are so underrated.” The comment reflected a longstanding belief that underground transit represents one of the most cost-effective and scalable infrastructure solutions available. The Boring Company has claimed it can build 13 miles of twin tunnels in Nashville for between $240 million and $300 million total, a fraction of what comparable projects cost elsewhere in the country.

The Las Vegas Loop, The Boring Company’s first operational system, has served as a proof of concept. During the CONEXPO trade show in March 2026, the Vegas Loop transported approximately 82,000 passengers over five days at the Las Vegas Convention Center, demonstrating the system’s capacity during large-scale events. Nashville draws millions of convention visitors and tourists each year, and local business leaders have pointed to that same capacity as a major draw for supporting the project.

The Music City Loop was first announced in July 2025. Construction began within hours of the February 25 state approval, with The Boring Company’s Prufrock tunneling machine already in the ground the same evening. The first operational segment is targeted for late 2026, with the full route expected to be complete by 2029. The project represents one of the largest privately funded infrastructure efforts currently underway in the United States.

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