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SpaceX's Falcon rockets might need a giant tower on wheels for US military launches
SpaceX reportedly plans to build a massive mobile gantry – effectively a tower on wheels – at one of its two Florida launch pads, a bid to meet obscure military launch criteria needed to secure highly lucrative Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch contracts from the US government.
Although this is not the first time that SpaceX and vertical integration have been thrown around in the same sentence, it is the first time that the company is reportedly close to actually finalizing its plans along those lines and constructing a real solution at one or more of its three orbital-class launch pads.
Throughout the entirety of its active launch operations, SpaceX has relied exclusively on horizontal integration for its Falcon 1, 9, and Heavy rockets and the satellites they launch. CEO Elon Musk and other executives have maintained a consistent rationale for that preference over the years: ensuring that rockets and payloads can be horizontally integrated is the best possible solution so long as SpaceX’s primary motivation is improving access to space and lowering the cost of launch. As such, SpaceX has one and only one major motivation to jerry-rig a vertical integration solution for its Falcon family of rockets: necessity by way of arcane US military launch contract requirements.
Spaceflight Now broke the latest news first on January 3rd, 2020, revealing that SpaceX was at long last taking a substantial step towards actually building its own vertical integration infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39A – a step that was long anticipated but has taken years to transpire into anything concrete. The gist is this: for a variety of seemingly shoehorned and far-from-obvious reasons, the secretive, ultra-expensive spy satellites that contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing build for the US Air Force (USAF) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) builds itself are designed in such a way that they apparently cannot be flipped horizontally in a rocket’s payload fairing.
Identical to the process depicted above for Blue Origin’s in-development New Glenn rocket, up to now, SpaceX has encapsulated all satellite payloads vertically, sealed the payload fairing, rotated that integrated fairing and payload, and then attached that assembly to horizontal Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The rocket is then transported to the launch pad on a transporter erector (T/E), which – as the name suggests – raises the rocket and payload vertical before propellant loading and launch.
For certain USAF and NRO launch contracts, breakover (horizontal flip) is unacceptable and their preference is that the launch vehicle be brought vertical before the payload – also still vertical – is stacked on top. While it sounds simple in principle (i.e. “Just stick a crane out by the pad!”), vertical payload integration is exceptionally tedious unless you already have the infrastructure in place. Competitor United Launch Alliance (ULA), for example, already has that infrastructure – having held a decade-long monopoly over US military launches that only ended 5-7 years ago, depending on how it’s measured.
Both ULA’s Atlas V, Delta IV, and soon-to-be Vulcan Centaur rockets and the infrastructure used to launch them have all been designed around vertical payload integration – essentially requiring massive, expensive, and complicated buildings-on-wheels at each launch facility.
Per Spaceflight Now, SpaceX has plans to build a similar mobile tower at Pad 39A, currently dedicated Falcon 9/Crew Dragon missions for NASA and the occasional Falcon Heavy launch. That tower will ultimately roll up to Falcon 9 or Heavy rockets on the pad, fully covering the vehicles and giving technicians an array of work platforms and tools to support vertical payload integration, among other uses. SFN says that the mobile tower will be even taller than the existing Fixed Service Structure (FSS) tower at Pad 39A, measuring some 30 stories (100m/330ft) tall.
In line with a recent FSS redesign that saw that existing tower modified for Crew Dragon and outfitted with semi-transparent black glass or plastic and a black-and-white color scheme, the new mobile tower will apparently be built with a similar design language.
Ultimately, all of SpaceX’s plans for Starship – a massive next-generation, fully-reusable rocket – have relied on some form of vertical integration for Super Heavy boosters, Starships, and tankers. In a best-case scenario, all of those vehicles may one day land in reach of a giant crane situated at the launch pad, allowing SpaceX to lift them back to the pad and install ships and tankers on Super Heavy boosters just hours (maybe even minutes) after touchdown – truly rapid reuse.
For now, it’s unclear when exactly SpaceX wants to start cutting metal for its new Falcon 9/Heavy gantry, but it’s safe to say the company will move fast as usual once it begins.
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In a notable intersection of Big Tech powerhouses, Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, has partnered with Canadian energy infrastructure giant Enbridge on a significant renewable energy initiative that will rely on battery technology from Elon Musk’s Tesla.
The project, which was announced this week, marks another step in Meta’s aggressive push to power its expanding data center operations with clean energy, dispelling many of the complaints people have about them.
This new development is located near Cheyenne, Wyoming, and will feature a 365-megawatt (MW) solar farm paired with a 200 MW/1,600 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system, also known as BESS. Tesla is providing the batteries for the project, valued at roughly $200 million.
The story was originally reported by Utility Dive.
This Wyoming project represents the first phase of Enbridge and Meta’s joint “Cowboy Project.” Once operational, it will deliver power to Meta’s regional data centers through Cheyenne Light, Fuel, and Power under Wyoming’s Large Power Contract Service tariff.
This tariff, originally developed in collaboration with Microsoft and Black Hills Energy, is designed specifically for large loads like data centers. It ensures that the renewable supply serves hyperscale customers without impacting retail electricity rates for other users.
The battery system will operate under a long-term tolling agreement, providing dispatchable capacity that enhances grid reliability. During periods of high demand, the utility can access the backup generation, addressing one of the key challenges of integrating large-scale renewables with the explosive growth of data center electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence.
This latest collaboration builds on prior joint efforts between Enbridge and Meta in Texas, including the 600 MW Clear Fork Solar, 152 MW Easter Wind, and 300 MW Cone Wind projects. Together with the Wyoming initiative, the companies have now partnered on roughly 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of combined solar, wind, and storage capacity.
The deal highlights the intensifying demand for reliable, low-carbon power from technology giants. Meta has committed to supporting its data center growth with renewable energy, joining peers like Microsoft and Google in seeking large-scale solutions. Enbridge’s Allen Capps described the project as “one of the larger utility-scale battery installations supporting U.S. data center operations and growth.”
The involvement of Tesla’s battery technology adds an intriguing layer, linking two of the world’s most prominent tech leaders—Zuckerberg and Musk—in the clean energy transition.
As data centers continue to drive unprecedented electricity load growth across the United States, projects like this one illustrate how hyperscalers are turning to strategic partnerships with traditional energy players and innovative storage solutions to meet both sustainability goals and reliability needs.
SpaceX has decided to stand down from what was supposed to be the first test launch of Starship’s v3 rocket tonight after a minor issue with a hydraulic pin delayed the flight once more.
The company scrubbed its first test flight of the upgraded Starship v3 on May 21 in the final minutes of the countdown. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk quickly took to social media platform X, explaining that a hydraulic pin on the launch tower’s “chopsticks” arm failed to retract properly.
Musk added that the company would fix the issue this evening. SpaceX will attempt another launch tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. CT, 6:30 p.m. ET, and 3:30 p.m. PT.
The hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place did not retract.
If that can be fixed tonight, there will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT. https://t.co/DJAdvDYQpH
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2026
The countdown for Starship Flight 12 — featuring the taller and more capable V3 stack with Booster 19 and Ship 39 — had been progressing smoothly until the late-stage issue surfaced. The Mechazilla tower arm, designed to secure the vehicle on the pad and eventually catch returning boosters, could not complete its retraction sequence.
SpaceX teams immediately began troubleshooting the hydraulic system for an overnight repair.
Starship V3 introduces several significant upgrades over earlier versions. These include greater propellant capacity, more powerful Raptor 3 engines, larger grid fins, enhanced heat shielding, and an improved fuel transfer system.
We covered the changes that were announced just days ago by SpaceX:
SpaceX unveils sweeping Starship V3 upgrades ahead of May 19 launch
The changes are intended to increase payload performance, support higher flight rates, and advance the vehicle toward operational missions, including Starlink deployments, NASA Artemis lunar landings, and future crewed Mars flights. The debut flight from Starbase’s new Launch Pad 2 marked an important milestone in scaling up the fully reusable Starship system.
This stand-down highlights the intricate challenges of preparing the world’s most powerful rocket for flight. Despite extensive pre-launch checks, a single component in the ground support equipment can force a scrub.
The incident aligns with Starship’s proven iterative development approach. Previous test flights have encountered both successes and setbacks, each providing critical data that refines hardware and procedures. Some outlets may call some of these flights “failures,” when in reality, they are all opportunities for SpaceX to learn for the next attempt.
With V3, SpaceX aims to reduce ground-system dependencies and increase launch cadence to meet ambitious long-term goals.
The Tesla Model Y became the first-ever car to reach a legendary Norwegian milestone, surpassing 100,000 new registrations after gaining a reputation as one of the most popular vehicles in the country and the world.
As of May 20, Norwegian authorities have registered 100,224 units of the electric SUV, according to data from local outlet Opplysningsrådet for veitrafikken (OFV).
By population, roughly one in every 29 passenger cars on Norwegian roads is now a Model Y, underscoring its rapid rise as a national favorite.
Since the first deliveries in August 2021, the Model Y has transformed from a newcomer to a staple in Norwegian traffic.
Tesla back on top as Norway’s EV market surges to 98% share in February
Geir Inge Stokke, the Managing Director of OFV, described the achievement as “remarkable,” noting that few single models have gained such traction so quickly. “Tesla Model Y has hit the Norwegian market spot on, and the numbers illustrate how fast the EV market has developed here,” Stokke said.
The Model Y’s success reflects Norway’s aggressive push toward electrification. Nearly nine out of ten units, 87.6 percent, to be exact, are privately registered, with the remaining 12.4 percent on company plates. Owners span the country, from major cities to smaller municipalities, proving it is no longer just an urban or niche vehicle but a true “people’s car.
Who is Buying Tesla Model Ys in Norway?
Typical Model Y drivers are men in their early 40s. The average registered user age is 44, with 83 percent male and 17 percent female. Stokke noted that household usage often extends beyond the primary registrant, broadening the vehicle’s real-world appeal.
Geographically, adoption concentrates in urban centers with strong charging infrastructure. Oslo leads with 16,861 registrations (16.82 percent of the national total), followed by Bergen (7,450), Bærum (4,313), and Trondheim (4,240).
The top five municipalities—Oslo, Bergen, Bærum, Trondheim, and Asker—account for 35,463 units, or about 35 percent of all Model Ys. Yet the vehicle’s presence outside big cities highlights its broad acceptance.
Growth Trajectory and Popularity
Tesla built a lot of sales momentum in a short amount of time. In 2021, registrations closed out at 8,267, but more than doubled to more than 17,000 units in 2022 and more than 23,000 units in 2023. 2025 was the company’s strongest year yet, as Tesla managed to record 27,621 registrations.
Through 2026, Tesla already has 7,036 registrations.
Tesla’s Global Success with the Model Y
Tesla has tasted so much success with the Model Y; it has been the best-selling car in the world three times, it has dominated EV sales in numerous countries, and contributed to a mass adoption of electric vehicles across the planet.
As Stokke emphasized, the Model Y’s journey from newcomer to icon mirrors Norway’s broader success story. With robust incentives that push sales, excellent infrastructure, and consumer eagerness to transition to sustainable powertrains, the country continues setting global benchmarks in sustainable mobility.
The Tesla Model Y stands as a shining example of how quickly change can happen when conditions align.
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