Connect with us

News

SpaceX to round out 2021 with a burst of Falcon launches

(Richard Angle)

Published

on

After an unusual cadence downtick in the third quarter of the year, SpaceX looks set to round out the last several weeks of 2021 with a burst of Falcon 9 launches from all three of its East and West Coast pads.

NASA confirmed in a November 22nd briefing that the rocket is in perfect condition and that weather conditions will be 90% favorable for Falcon 9’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) launch on Tuesday, November 23rd. On the opposite coast, SpaceX completed recovery operations for a back-to-back-to-back Crew Dragon splashdown, Crew Dragon launch, and Starlink launch; returning a Dragon, two well-worn Falcon 9 boosters, and a payload fairing to port between November 13th and 18th.

That’s left SpaceX’s East Coast recovery fleet and team about 10 days to prefer for a busy December of (potentially) even more Falcon launches and landings.

Following DART on November 23rd or 24th, SpaceX has scheduled its 16th Starlink launch of the year – cryptically deemed “Starlink 4-3” – no earlier than (NET) 6:20 pm EST (23:20 UTC), Wednesday, December 1st. Carrying another 15-ton (~33,000 lb) batch of 53 laser-linked Starlink V1.5 satellites, an unknown flight-proven Falcon 9 booster (potentially B1049, B0152, B1053, B1060, B1061, B1063, B1067, or even the just-launched B1058) will send the spacecraft on their way to space from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral LC-40 pad just 18 days after its last Starlink mission.

Up next, incorrectly surmised to be destined for Starlink 4-1 when it was spotted in transport on November 4th, Falcon 9 B1062 will likely support the launch of NASA’s tiny Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. Set to be the booster’s fourth payload in 12 months, Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch the minuscule ~300 kg (~650 lb) observatory to low Earth orbit no earlier than (NET) 1am EST (06:00 UTC), Thursday, December 9th. Unless there are surprise copassengers, it will be the smallest dedicated payload ever launched by Falcon 9, beating out NASA’s 362 kg (798 lb) TESS exoplanet observatory. The booster will likely return to Cape Canaveral for a touchdown at a SpaceX Landing Zone (LZ).

Advertisement
Falcon 9 B1062 and a new upper stage were spotted on the road early this month. (Chance Belloise)

Up next, another mystery Falcon booster is scheduled to launch the second of a new pair of Turkish geostationary (GEO) communications satellites NET 10:58 pm EST, December 18th (03:58 UTC 19 Dec) from LC-40. The 4500 kg (~10,000 lb) Turksat 5B satellite will ultimately join its 5A twin on orbit and support a variety of communications needs.

On the East Coast, barring major delays or an out-of-the-blue Starlink mission, SpaceX’s last launch of the year will be Cargo Dragon 2’s CRS-24 space station resupply run, which is currently set to launch at 5:06 am EST (10:06 UTC) on December 21st (delayed from December 4th).

The Falcon 9 meant to launch SpaceX’s next West Coast Starlink mission is visible behind DART’s ride to orbit. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Finally, CEO Elon Musk expects SpaceX to launch at least one more Starlink mission (on top of Starlink 4-3) before the end of 2021. Based solely on pad turnaround timing, the most likely time for that mission is in the last week or two of December – about a month after DART if on the West Coast or 10-12 days after Turksat 5B on the East Coast. If all goes to plan, Falcon 9 will end the year having just completed its 30th orbital launch of 2021.

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.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla might have built redundancies for Cybercab charging

When Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in 2024, the company noted that the autonomous two-seater would utilize wireless charging.

Published

on

Credit: @AdanGuajardo/X

A newly spotted panel on Tesla’s Cybercab prototype may point to a practical backup for the vehicle’s wireless charging system as it nears mass production. 

Tesla watchers have speculated that the panel could house a physical NACS port, which would ensure that the autonomous two-seater could operate reliably even before the company’s wireless charging infrastructure is deployed.

Cybercab possible physical charge port

The discussion was sparked by a post on X by Tesla watcher Owen Sparks, who highlighted a rather interesting panel on the Cybercab’s rear. The panel, which seemed to be present in the prototype units that have been spotted across the United States recently, seemed large enough to house a physical charge port.

When Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in 2024, the company noted that the autonomous two-seater would utilize wireless charging. Since then, however, Tesla has remained largely quiet about the system’s rollout timeline. With the Cybercab expected to enter production in a few months, equipping the vehicle with a physical NACS port would allow it to charge at Superchargers nationwide without relying exclusively on still-undeployed wireless chargers.

Such an approach would not rule out wireless charging long-term. Instead, it would give Tesla flexibility, allowing the Cybercab to operate immediately at scale while wireless charging solutions are rolled out later. For a vehicle designed to operate continuously and autonomously, redundancy in charging options would be a practical move.

Advertisement

Growing Cybercab sightings

Recent sightings of the Cybercab prototype in Chicago point to the same design philosophy. Images shared on social media showed the vehicle coated in road grime, while its rear camera area appeared noticeably cleaner, with visible traces of water on the trunk.

The observation suggests that the Cybercab is equipped with a rear camera washer. As noted by Model Y owner and industry watcher Sawyer Merritt, this is a feature Tesla owners have requested for years, particularly in snowy or wet climates where dirt and slush can obscure cameras and degrade the performance of systems like FSD.

While only the rear camera washer was clearly visible, the sighting raises the possibility that Tesla may equip additional exterior cameras with similar cleaning systems. For a vehicle that operates without a human driver,  after all, maintaining camera visibility in all conditions is essential. Ultimately, the charge-port speculation and camera-washer sightings suggest Tesla is approaching the Cybercab with practicality in mind.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Tesla Model Y dominated China’s NEV sales in December 2025

As per sales data from China, the all-electric crossover finished first among the country’s best-selling EVs and plug-in hybrids.

Published

on

Credit: Grok Imagine

The Tesla Model Y ranked as China’s top-selling new energy vehicle in December, leading an intensely competitive market packed with strong domestic brands. 

As per sales data from China, the all-electric crossover finished first among the country’s best-selling EVs and plug-in hybrids. The Model 3 also placed within the country’s top ten vehicles.

Model Y leads China’s NEV rankings

The graphic, shared on X and sourced from Chinese auto industry data aggregator Yiche, listed the top 20 best-selling new energy vehicles in China for December. Tesla’s Model Y claimed the No. 1 position with roughly 65,874 units sold, finishing well ahead of a field dominated by domestic manufacturers such as BYD, SAIC-GM-Wuling, and Xiaomi.

The chart also showed strong performances from other high-volume models, including BYD’s Qin Plus, which sold 46,837 units during the month. Tesla’s Model 3 ranked eighth overall, with just under 28,000 units sold, placing it ahead of numerous locally produced competitors despite its rather premium price.

Tesla China’s strong December

Tesla China had a stellar December 2025. During the month, Tesla sold 97,171 vehicles wholesale in China, as per data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The result marked Tesla China’s second-highest monthly total on record, trailing only November 2022’s peak of 100,291 units.

Advertisement

December’s wholesale figure represented a 3.63% increase from the same month a year earlier and a 12.08% jump from November. Industry watchers have suggested that part of the surge was driven by Tesla pulling deliveries forward to allow customers to benefit from more favorable purchase tax policies before year-end. 

Despite this, December’s results suggest that Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 remain highly competitive offerings in China, which is extremely impressive considering the competition from domestic players and their still premium price.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s net worth is nearing $800 billion, and it’s no small part due to xAI

A newly confirmed $20 billion xAI funding round valued the business at $250 billion, adding an estimated $62 billion to Musk’s fortune.

Published

on

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk moved within reach of an unprecedented $800 billion net worth after private investors sharply increased the valuation of xAI Holdings, his artificial intelligence and social media company. 

A newly confirmed $20 billion funding round valued the business at $250 billion, adding an estimated $62 billion to Musk’s fortune and widening his lead as the world’s wealthiest individual.

xAI’s valuation jump

Forbes confirmed that xAI Holdings was valued at $250 billion following its $20 billion funding round. That’s more than double the $113 billion valuation Musk cited when he merged his AI startup xAI with social media platform X last year. Musk owned roughly 49% of the combined company, which Forbes estimated was worth about $122 billion after the deal closed.

xAI’s recent valuation increase pushed Musk’s total net worth to approximately $780 billion, as per Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List. The jump represented one of the single largest wealth gains ever recorded in a private funding round.

Interestingly enough, xAI’s funding round also boosted the AI startup’s other billionaire investors. Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud held an estimated 1.6% stake in xAI worth about $4 billion, so the recent funding round boosted his net worth to $19.4 billion. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison each owned roughly 0.8% stakes that are now valued at about $2.1 billion, increasing their net worths to $6 billion and $241 billion, respectively.

Advertisement

The backbone of Musk’s net worth

Despite xAI’s rapid rise, Musk’s net worth is still primarily anchored by SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX represents Musk’s single most valuable asset, with his 42% stake in the private space company estimated at roughly $336 billion. 

Tesla ranks second among Musk’s holdings, as he owns about 12% of the EV maker’s common stock, which is worth approximately $307 billion.

Over the past year, Musk crossed a series of historic milestones, becoming the first person ever worth $500 billion, $600 billion, and $700 billion. He also widened his lead over the world’s second-richest individual, Larry Page, by more than $500 billion.

Continue Reading