News
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket passes static fire test three years in the making
After knocking out some figurative cobwebs, SpaceX has test-fired a Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time since June 2019.
Shortly before the static fire, NASASpaceflight’s Thomas Burghardt reported that Falcon Heavy’s first launch in 40 months – a mission for the US Space Force known as USSF-44 – had slipped from October 28th and October 31st to no earlier than (NET) 9:40 am EDT (13:40 UTC), Tuesday, November 1st. USSF-44 will be Falcon Heavy’s fourth launch since February 2018.
During its 10-second October 27th static fire, Falcon Heavy – the most capable rocket currently operational – appeared to ignite all 27 of its first stage’s Merlin 1D engines, likely producing up to 2350 tons (5.18 million lbf) of thrust. Only three liquid-powered rockets (N1, Saturn V, & Energia) and one rocket augmented by solid rocket boosters (the Space Shuttle) have produced more thrust at sea level, and the most recently active of those four vehicles (NASA’s Space Shuttle) was permanently retired in 2011.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will retake the crown when it (hopefully) debuts later this year, but Falcon Heavy will remain the most powerful commercially-available rocket until SpaceX’s own Starship debuts. After Starship debuts later this year or early next, Falcon Heavy will continue on as the second most powerful commercial rocket for the indefinite future.
After more than three years of downtime, SpaceX unsurprisingly appeared to run into minor issues while preparing Falcon Heavy for a full wet dress rehearsal and static fire. SpaceX rolled the rocket – sans payload fairing – out to the launch pad late on October 25th, at which point the launch target had already slipped to October 31st. Falcon Heavy then sat horizontally for about 30 hours before SpaceX raised it vertical and fully attached the rocket and transporter/erector to the pad’s ground systems.
Another 12 hours of work later, SpaceX was ready to begin static fire test operations, and Falcon Heavy fired up at 8 pm EDT on October 27th, 50 hours after it rolled out. During Falcon 9’s most recent satellite launch out of Pad 39A, the rocket lifted off about 30 hours after rollout. While preparing for Falcon Heavy Block 5’s first launch (Flight 2 overall) in April 2019, the rocket went vertical 12 hours after rollout – 18 hours faster than Flight 4. Ahead of Flight 3 in June 2019, Falcon Heavy completed a static fire test 25 hours after rolling out – 25 hours faster than Flight 4.
Before it can launch, Falcon Heavy will have to return to LC-39A’s hangar to have its fairing (containing two classified USSF-44 satellites) installed and then return to the pad, repeating the rollout process. Falcon Heavy Flight 3 holds the record (5d 4h) for the shortest gap between a static fire and launch. Falcon Heavy’s updated launch target is 4 days and 14 hours after its static fire, meaning that SpaceX will have to break that record to launch USSF-44 as planned.
Update: The USSF-44 payload fairing – satellites safely encapsulated inside it – headed to Pad 39A less than four hours after Falcon Heavy Flight 4’s static fire.
Regardless, with a successful static fire under its belt, Falcon Heavy’s fourth launch is now all but guaranteed to occur within the next 5-10 days. The rocket’s fifth launch – carrying ViaSat’s first ViaSat-3 communications satellite – could follow as early as December 2022, and another four Falcon Heavy launches are currently scheduled between January and August 2023.
Elon Musk
California city weighs banning Elon Musk companies like Tesla and SpaceX
A resolution draft titled, “Resolution Ending Engagement With Elon Musk-Controlled Companies and To Encourage CalPERS To Divest Stock In These Companies,” alleges that Musk “has engaged in business practices that are alleged to include violations of labor laws, environmental regulations, workplace safety standards, and regulatory noncompliance.”
A California City Council is planning to weigh whether it would adopt a resolution that would place a ban on its engagement with Elon Musk companies, like Tesla and SpaceX.
The City of Davis, California, will have its City Council weigh a new proposal that would adopt a resolution “to divest from companies owned and/or controlled by Elon Musk.”
This would include a divestment proposal to encourage CalPERS, the California Public Employees Retirement System, to divest from stock in any Musk company.
A resolution draft titled, “Resolution Ending Engagement With Elon Musk-Controlled Companies and To Encourage CalPERS To Divest Stock In These Companies,” alleges that Musk “has engaged in business practices that are alleged to include violations of labor laws, environmental regulations, workplace safety standards, and regulatory noncompliance.”
It claims that Musk “has used his influence and corporate platforms to promote political ideologies and activities that threaten democratic norms and institutions, including campaign finance activities that raise ethical and legal concerns.”
If adopted, Davis would bar the city from entering into any new contracts or purchasing agreements with any company owned or controlled by Elon Musk. It also says it will not consider utilizing Tesla Robotaxis.
Hotel owner tears down Tesla chargers in frustration over Musk’s politics
A staff report on the proposal claims there is “no immediate budgetary impact.” However, a move like this would only impact its residents, especially with Tesla, as the Supercharger Network is open to all electric vehicle manufacturers. It is also extremely reliable and widespread.
Regarding the divestment request to CalPERS, it would not be surprising to see the firm make the move. Although it voted against Musk’s compensation package last year, the firm has no issue continuing to make money off of Tesla’s performance on Wall Street.
The decision to avoid Musk companies will be considered this evening at the City Council meeting.
The report comes from Davis Vanguard.
It is no secret that Musk’s political involvement, especially during the most recent Presidential Election, ruffled some feathers. Other cities considered similar options, like the City of Baltimore, which “decided to go in another direction” after awarding Tesla a $5 million contract for a fleet of EVs for city employees.
News
Tesla launches new Model 3 financing deal with awesome savings
Tesla is now offering a 0.99% APR financing option for all new Model 3 orders in the United States, and it applies to all loan terms of up to 72 months.
Tesla has launched a new Model 3 financing deal in the United States that brings awesome savings. The deal looks to move more of the company’s mass-market sedan as it is the second-most popular vehicle Tesla offers, behind its sibling, the Model Y.
Tesla is now offering a 0.99% APR financing option for all new Model 3 orders in the United States, and it applies to all loan terms of up to 72 months.
It includes three Model 3 configurations, including the Model 3 Performance. The rate applies to:
- Model 3 Premium Rear-Wheel-Drive
- Model 3 Premium All-Wheel-Drive
- Model 3 Performance
The previous APR offer was 2.99%.
NEWS: Tesla has introduced 0.99% APR financing for all new Model 3 orders in the U.S. (applies to loan terms of up to 72 months).
This includes:
• Model 3 RWD
• Model 3 Premium RWD
• Model 3 Premium AWD
• Model 3 PerformanceTesla was previously offering 2.99% APR. pic.twitter.com/A1ZS25C9gM
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 15, 2026
Tesla routinely utilizes low-interest offers to help move vehicles, especially as the rates can help get people to payments that are more comfortable with their monthly budgets. Along with other savings, like those on maintenance and gas, this is another way Tesla pushes savings to customers.
The company had offered a similar program in China on the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, but it had ended on January 31.
The Model 3 was the second-best-selling electric vehicle in the United States in 2025, trailing only the Model Y. According to automotive data provided by Cox, Tesla sold 192,440 units last year of the all-electric sedan. The Model Y sold 357,528 units.
News
Tesla hasn’t adopted Apple CarPlay yet for this shocking reason
Many Apple and iPhone users have wanted the addition, especially to utilize third-party Navigation apps like Waze, which is a popular alternative. Getting apps outside of Tesla’s Navigation to work with its Full Self-Driving suite seems to be a potential issue the company will have to work through as well.
Perhaps one of the most requested features for Tesla vehicles by owners is the addition of Apple CarPlay. It sounds like the company wants to bring the popular UI to its cars, but there are a few bottlenecks preventing it from doing so.
The biggest reason why CarPlay has not made its way to Teslas yet might shock you.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Tesla is still working on bringing CarPlay to its vehicles. There are two primary reasons why Tesla has not done it quite yet: App compatibility issues and, most importantly, there are incredibly low adoption rates of iOS 26.
Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions are not dead, they’re still in the works
iOS 26 is Apple’s most recent software version, which was released back in September 2025. It introduced a major redesign to the overall operating system, especially its aesthetic, with the rollout of “Liquid Glass.”
However, despite the many changes and updates, Apple users have not been too keen on the iOS 26 update, and the low adoption rates have been a major sticking point for Tesla as it looks to develop a potential alternative for its in-house UI.
It was first rumored that Tesla was planning to bring CarPlay out in its cars late last year. Many Apple and iPhone users have wanted the addition, especially to utilize third-party Navigation apps like Waze, which is a popular alternative. Getting apps outside of Tesla’s Navigation to work with its Full Self-Driving suite seems to be a potential issue the company will have to work through as well.
According to the report, Tesla asked Apple to make some changes to improve compatibility between its software and Apple Maps:
“Tesla asked Apple to make engineering changes to Maps to improve compatibility. The iPhone maker agreed and implemented the adjustments in a bug fix update to iOS 26 and the latest version of CarPlay.”
Gurman also said that there were some issues with turn-by-turn guidance from Tesla’s maps app, and it did not properly sync up with Apple Maps during FSD operation. This is something that needs to be resolved before it is rolled out.
There is no listed launch date, nor has there been any coding revealed that would indicate Apple CarPlay is close to being launched within Tesla vehicles.
California city weighs banning Elon Musk companies like Tesla and SpaceX
Tesla launches new Model 3 financing deal with awesome savings
